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THE  LIFE 


OF  TUB 


EEV.  EGBERT  R.  ROBERTS, 

ONE  OF  THE  BISHOPS  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


REV.  CHARLES^ELLIOTT,  D.  D. 


NEW-YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BV  G.  LANE  &  C.  B.  TIPPETT, 

FOR  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  AT  THE  CONFERENCE 
OFFICE,  200  MULBERRY-STREET. 

/.  Collord,  Primer. 
1844. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844,  by  J.  F. 
Wright  and  L.  Swormstedt,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  for  the  District 
Court  of  Ohio. 


PREFACE. 


The  following  narrative  is  a  work  of  no  great  pretensions, 
as  far  as  the  authorship  is  concerned.  The  reasons  are  the 
following.  Whatever  talent  the  author  possesses,  as  a 
writer,  it  does  not  properly  comprise  the  qualifications 
necessary  for  a  good  biographer.  Besides,  while  preparing 
this  volume,  he  had  the  regular  duties  of  editor  to  perform, 
which  necessarily  interfered  with  the  close  attention  requisite 
for  such  an  undertaking.  It  is,  also,  rather  hastily  got  up, 
and  must,  therefore,  partake  of  the  defects  of  all  hasty  publi- 
cations— to  which  class  most  of  the  works  written  in  this  age 
properly  belong.  The  author  ought  to  have  had  sufficient 
time  to  re-compose  the  whole;  but  this  was  impossible  under 
existing  circumstances ;  and,  therefore,  his  half-prepared 
book  must  be  issued  just  as  it  is. 

The  principal  reason  why  this  unpretending  volume  is 
thus  given  to  the  public  is,  that  the  writer  could  not  promise 
liimself  any  leisure  iu  future,  even  should  his  days  be  length- 
ened, to  do  more  justice  to  the  life  of  his  venerable  friend. 
It  is,  moreover,  probable,  that  if  he  had  not  undertaken 
what  is  now  imperfectly  done,  no  other  person,  for  want  of 
inclination  or  time,  would  have  attempted  it  at  all.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  seems  to  have  been  very 
unfortunate  in  reference  to  her  two  senior  Bishops,  Asbury 
and  M'Kendree,  in  not  having  the  lives  of  these  venerable 
men  written  for  the  benefit  of  posterity.  This  considera- 
tion has  had  great  influence  in  inducing  the  writer  to 
undertake  the  present  work. 

He  has  endeavored,  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  to  collect 
and  arrange  such  facts  as  were  within  his  reach,  relative  to 
the  life  of  a  very  good  man — an  individual  of  great  moral 


4 


PREFACE. 


and  religious  worth.  But  little  comment  is  introduced  on 
the  facts  given.  The  reader  is,  therefore,  left  to  make  his 
own  reflections. 

The  sources  of  information  for  the  life  of  Bishop  Roberts 
were  limited,  and  not  very  easy  of  access.  The  author  is 
indebted  to  several  friends  for  important  matter,  whose 
kindness  is  generally  acknowledged  in  tlie  body  of  the  work. 

After  collecting  and  arranging  all  he  could  from  his  own 
resources  and  personal  knowledge  of  the  Bishop,  the  author 
proceeded  to  Indiana,  assembled  together  the  widow,  and 
old  acquaintances  and  relatives  of  the  Bishop,  and  wrote 
down  from  their  lips  every  thing  they  could  recollect  wor- 
thy of  preservation.  The  same  process  was  observed 
among  his  friends  and  neighbors  at  Shenango,  in  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  every  scrap  of  information  which 
they  furnished  was  secured.  As  far,  therefore,  as  the  ma- 
terials go,  the  facts  are  well  authenticated  and  may  be 
relied  on. 

The  author  confesses,  however,  that  there  is  a  greater 
proportion  of  mere  western  pioneer  incidents  in  the  book 
than  could  be  desired.  There  is,  also,  too  little  of  religious 
narrative  and  Christian  experience.  But  then  these  defects 
were  inevitable. 

The  chapter  on  succession,  which  relates  to  ordination, 
and  is  connected  with  Methodist  episcopacy,  is  a  mere 
outline  adapted  to  the  present  work,  but  which  might  be 
easily  enlarged  into  a  volume. 

The  writer  believes  that  both  Methodist  episcopacy  and 
Methodist  Church  polity  are  susceptible  of  as  much,  or 
rather  more.  Scriptural  support  than  any  other  ecclesiastical 
regimen  in  the  world,  whether  ancient  or  modern. 

Charles  Elliott. 

Cincinnati,  O.,  April  2,  1844, 


CONTENTS  • 


CHAPTER  I. 


PARENTAGE    AND    EAIILT  LIF 


Birth  and  parentage — religious  principles  and  character  of  hia 
father — his  mother — number  and  names  of  his  brothers  and  sisters — 
Robert  Richford — circumstances  of  his  father — education  of  the  fam- 
ily— education  of  Robert  R. — becomes  intoxicated  during  harvest — 
his  father  moves  to  Ligonier  Valley,  Pennsylvania,  in  1785 — state 
of  religion  in  the  Valley — conversion  of  Abel  Fisher,  sen. — religious 
instruction  of  the  family — effects  of  the  new  country  on  Robert  R.  and 
the  family — Methodist  preachers  visit  the  Valley  in  1788 — prejudices 
of  Mr.  Roberts  against  them — effect  of  their  preaching  on  Mrs.  Rob- 
erts and  young  Robert  R. — and  on  the  members  of  the  family — they 
send  John  to  quarterly  meeting — information  on  his  return — Robert 
R.  overhears  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  pray — effect  on  his  mind — his  sis- 
ters, Sarah,  Elizabeth  and  Esther  unite  with  the  Church — prayer  in 
the  family — industry  and  religious  state  of  Robert — improves  his  mind 
in  reading — family  regulations  during  religious  meetings  by  Sarah — 
breaks  his  leg — becomes  catechist  for  the  children — receives  the  wit- 
ness of  his  acceptance — preaches  to  Lewis — backwardness  in  uniting 
with  the  Church — incident  at  quarterly  meeting — union  with  the 
Church — his  clothing — makes  tar  to  purchase  better — goes  to  school — 
Bcutches  flax  for  boarding — Irish  schoolmasters — incident  at  school — 
interview  with  his  old  schoolmaster  in  1835  13-32. 


Privileges  of  first  settlers  in  Pennsylvania — R.  R.  sets  out  in  1796 
for  Shenango — his  companions — character  of  a  hunter — they  all  go 
to  hunt — Thomas  Roberts  and  William  M'Lean  return — Robert  R., 
Caughey  and  Hubanks  proceed — arrival  at  Franklin — then  at  Mead- 
ville — their  camp  near  Georgetown — proceed  to  Shenango — get  lost — 
encamp  at  Salem — their  supper — difficulty  in  returning — they  select 
land  and  commence  improvements — Robert  R.'s  provisions  and  money 
run  out — implements  of  cooking — their  first  crop — R.  R.  kills  a  deer — 
they  attempt  to  find  Concaut  Lake — distress  of  his  mind  and  mode  of 
relief— he  sets  out  in  June  for  Ligonier — arrival  at  Franklin — hires  to 


CHAPTER  II. 


SETTLEMENT    OF  SHENANOO. 


1* 


6 


CONTENTS. 


a  captain  of  a  boat — goes  to  Pittsburg — arrival  at  home — is  exercised 
about  preaching — returns  to  Shenango  in  the  spring  of  1797 — the 
company  and  incidents  of  the  journey — they  buy  sugar  on  Sunday — 
the  sin  of  this  act — his  provisions  run  out — is  reduced  to  great  want — 
return  of  his  brothers,  and  arrival  of  his  sister  Elizabeth — his  house 
becomes  the  centre  of  the  neighborhood — his  crop — he  and  his  sister 
spend  the  winter  in  Shenango — commences  hunting,  and  want  of  suc- 
cess— shoots  a  deer  and  racoons — kills  a  wild-cat  32-54. 

CHAPTER  III. 
BELIOIOir    FI.AirTED    I  IT    S  H  £  N  A  IT  6  O  . 

Dangerous  rencountre  with  a  deer — fears  of  Elizabeth  and  their 
cause — her  mode  of  calling  het  brother  and  his  reply — his  late  stay 
one  night  and  her  alarm — arrival  of  Caughey,  Esther,  his  father, 
John  and  Lewis — exercises  of  his  mind  and  spiritual  prospects — re- 
turns to  Ligonier — delivers  his  first  pulpit  exhortation — proceeds  with 
a  perogue  from  Connelsville  to  Shenango — dangers  of  the  voyage  and 
adventures  to  Shenango — sugar-making — arrival  of  the  perogue — R. 
R.  and  Lewis  go  to  Ligonier,  and  return  with  his  sisters,  Nancy,  Sa- 
rah and  Sophia,  and  grandfather,  Richford — crossing  of  Wolf  Creek — 
mode  of  traveling — peopling  of  the  settlement — its  religious  pros- 
pects— the  Rev.  Jacob  Gurwell — Rev.  Thomas  M'Clelland — formation 
of  the  first  class  in  Shenango  in  1796 — R.  R.  Roberts  the  first  leader, 
and  their  religious  meetings — marriage  of  Elizabeth  Roberts — he  hunts 
during  the  winter — goes  to  Ligonier  with  his  furs — difficulties  in  set- 
tling the  country  54-72. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
CALL    TO   THE  MIKISTHT. 

Marriage  of  R.  R.  Roberts — he,  his  wife  and  Lewis  set  out  for  She- 
nango— incidents  of  the  way — the  cabin  in  which  they  lived — its  fur- 
niture— their  provisions — he  and  Sarah  Roberts  visit  Ligonier — con- 
tinues leader — hunting — its  perils — sugar-making — a  dangerous  pre- 
dicament— he  makes  poetry — a  specimen — is  exercised  about  preach- 
ing, and  preaches  in  the  woods — eflect  of  his  mental  distress  on  his 
conduct — not  an  indolent  man — the  mean  between  commencing  too 
soon  and  too  late— death  of  Mr.  Richford— R.  R.  Roberts'  first  license — 
death  of  his  father— solicited  to  preach  by  Mr.  M'Clelland — M'Clel- 
land's  dream — R.  R.  Roberts  exhorts  at  watch-night  at  the  request  of 
Rev.  James  Quinn — his  first  sermon  in  1802 — is  licensed  to  preach, 
and  recommended  to  the  Baltimore  conference — Rev.  James  Quinn's 
letter  73-100. 


CONTENTS. 


7 


CHAPTER  V. 
ESTRANGE    O  If    THE  MINISTRY. 

Disposition  of  his  personal  property  at  Shenango — his  outfit  for 
itinerancy — true  spirit  of  itinerancy — departure  for  Shenango — cross- 
ing the  mountains — travels  Carlisle  circuit — afflicted  with  the  small- 
pox—then  the  measles— is  affected  with  the  shouting  in  meetings — 
quarterly  meeting  at  Carlise — Mr.  Wall— example  of  Mr.  Roberts' 
great  modesty — his  pecuniary  supplies  and  poverty — stationed  on 
Montgomery  circuit  in  1803 — the  first  camp  meeting  in  Maryland — 
the  German  Methodists — usage  among  the  Baptists — is  ordained  dea- 
con in  1804 — copy  of  his  parchment — steps  of  graduating  in  the 
Methodist  ministry — excellency  of  the  plan — he  is  stationed  on  Fred- 
erick circuit  in  1804 — attends  General  conference — remarks  on  the  pro- 
ceedings of  that  body  100-123. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
CONTINUANCE    IV    THE  ITINEBAXCY. 

His  economical  mode  of  living — visit  to  his  aunt — the  German 
Methodists — Rev.  John  Everhart — incident  at  Harper's  Ferry  at  a 
quilting  party— death  of  Mrs.  Roberts'  mother — they  travel  to  She- 
nango, and  Mrs.  Roberts  spends  the  winter  there — necessity  of  their 
economy — appointed  to  Shenango  circuit — preaches  at  Pittsburg — the 
"falling"  among  the  Presbyterians — conversation  with  a  lady  on  the 
subject — transferred  to  Erie  circuit,  after  six  months,  for  his  accom- 
modation— commences  building  a  mill,  and  the  reasons  for  this — re- 
mark on  his  conduct  by  a  zealous  person — his  own  comment  on  the 
subject — remarks  on  ministerial  support  and  ministerial  devotedness — 
conclusion  of  the  year — ordained  elder  in  1806 — appointed  to  Erie 
circuit — extends  his  labors  to  New  York  state — preaches  at  Mead- 
ville — mcident  at  Concaut  and  entertainment  for  the  night — another  at 
Lexington — rencountre  with  Rev.  Mr.  M'Lean — his  double  cabin  at 

Shenango  123-146. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
E  N  T  n  A  X  C  E    O  >■    THE    E  1>  I  S  C  O  P  A  C  T  . 

Appointed  to  Pittsburg  circuit — state  of  the  society  in  Pittsburg — 
his  success  ia  regulating  them — character  of  a  preacher  sent  on  by 
the  presiding  cider — caution  to  be  observed  in  receiving  strange 
preachers — remains  at  home  during  conference — he  and  Wni.  Page 
censured  for  non-attendance  on  their  circuits — injustice  of  their  cen- 
sure— appointed  to  West  Wheeling  circuit — goes  to  General  confer- 
ence— travels  to  Baltimore  on  one  dollar — incidents  on  the  way — place 
of  lodging  at  Baltimore — the  presiding  elder  question — the  restrictive 


8 


CONTENTS. 


regulations — their  history — Bishop  Asbury  changes  him  to  Balti- 
more— perplexity  of  his  mind  on  the  occasion — advice  of  Mrs.  Rob- 
erts—reception at  Baltimore — difficulty  with  Mr.  M'Caine — appoint- 
ment at  Alexandria — interview  with  the  President — visits  Shenango — 
takes  George  Roberts  with  him — stationed  in  Philadelphia — visits  the 
west — shooting  match  at  Orleans,  Indiana — is  presiding  elder  of 
Schuylkill  district — presides  in  the  Philadelphia  conference — is  elected 
Bishop  in  1816 — perplexity  of  his  mind  on  the  occasion — advice  of 
Rev.  James  Quinn — copy  of  his  ordination  parchment — observations 
on  it  146-170. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
DUTIES    OF  BISHOPS. 

Constituting  a  Methodist  Bishop — his  election — consecration— ordi- 
nation in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  presbyterial — character 
of  a  Methodist  Bishop — Scriptural  authority  for  Bishops — duties  of 
a  Methodist  Bishop — to  preside  in  conferences — to  station  preach- 
ers— how  far  the  wills  of  people  and  preachers  are  consulted — funda- 
mental principles  of  stationing — of  the  power  or  duties  of  Bishops — 
the  wishes  of  people  and  preachers  liable  to  great  qualification — pre- 
siding elders  advise  with  and  assist  the  Bishops — all  have  the  privilege 
of  petitioning — great  variety  of  petitions — some  petition  for  talented 
preachers — others  for  single  preachers — for  return  of  preachers — for 
good  disciplinarians — for  change  after  conference — on  account  of  fam- 
ily afflictions — specimens  of  these — parents  and  near  relatives  peti- 
tion— specimens  of  these — remonstrating — transferring — specimens  of 
these — there  is  a  real  compact  between  preachers  and  people — opposi- 
tion to  petitions — a  specimen — petition  of  colored  people — one  from 
a  whole  community — petitions  from  individuals  not  right — regula- 
tions of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists — the  American  plan  preferable — 
another  duty  of  a  Bishop  is  to  receive,  change  and  suspend  preach- 
ers— guard  of  abuse  here — to  travel  at  large — to  oversee  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  concerns  of  the  Church — to  ordain  ministers — to  decide 
questions  of  law — a  Bishop  is  accountable  to  the  General  conference — 
when  he  ceases  to  travel  he  cannot  exercise  his  episcopal  duties — note 
from  the  Discipline  of  1792  170-201. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
OENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 

General  remarks  on  succession — I.  The  true  succession  is  not  local 
or  percional — it  requires  truth  of  doctrine — sound  moral  principles — 
and  true  worship — some  are  ineligible  to  the  minister's  office ;  namely, 
the  wicked — heretics — Simonists — and  all  bad  men — true  ministers 


CONTENTS. 


9 


must  possess  niinisterial  qualifications — general  rules — and  inferences- 
ordination  defined — its  form — the  proper  candidate — course  of  proba- 
tion— recommendation  of  the  people — choice  by  the  ministry — cere- 
monies— the  ordainers  or  consecrators — superstitious  views  concerning 
ordination — sum  of  the  argument — II.  Succession  of  the  Church  of 
Home — supremacy  of  the  Pope  is  its  basis — succession  through  Popes 
is  uncertain — often  interrupted — their  ordinations  null  generally  in 
selecting  ineligible  candidates — by  heresies — by  Simony — wicked  meas- 
ures in  aiipointing  Popes — sum  of  the  argument — the  bishops  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  not  the  successors  of  the  apostles — nor  their  clergy — 
nor  their  people — nor  their  Church — Christianity  preserved  independ- 
ently of  the  Church  of  Rome — Succession  of  the  Church  of  England — 
bishops  and  elders  the  same — defects  of  the  English  Church — the 
power  of  the  Parliament — and  of  the  king — the  Church  subject  to  the 
state — appointment  of  bishops  by  the  crown — alliance  of  Church  and 
state — their  bishops  compared  with  the  primitive  bishops — character 
of  the  clergy — and  their  people — some  redeeming  qualities — the  ordi- 
nations of  the  English  Church  are  null,  or  vitiated,  by  their  descent 
from  Rome — instances  given — their  ordinations  are  null,  according  to 
their  principles,  by  admitting  Presbyterian  ordinations — is  interrupted 
in  the  case  of  the  non-jurors — in  its  connection  with  the  state — by  or- 
daining ineligible  persons — Succession  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church — its  foundation  laid  contrary  to  their  true  principles — the 
English  Church  conveyed  to  them  an  unscriptural  ordination — through 
the  Briiish  Parliament  and  king — it  is  defective — and  null — it  is  partly 
derived  from  the  non-juring  bishops — invalidated  by  their  baptism — 
great  deficiences  of  their  ordination — concluding  remarks — III.  J/in- 
istry  (f  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — Methodist  ministers  have 
the  true  qualifications — exercise  the  powers — and  perform  the  duties 
of  true  ministers — the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — Mr.  Wesley  was 
their  bishop — was  received  as  such  by  the  American  Methodists — was 
providentially,  Scripturally  and  ecclesiastically  called  to  act  for  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church — objections  answered — Scriptural  char- 
acter of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church   201-255. 

CHAPTER  X.  y 
REMOVAL   TO  INDIANA. 

Survey  of  the  preceding  chapters— Bishop  Roberts'  recourse  to 
prayer — his  retiring  character — consultation  about  the  place  of  his 
residence— his  poverty — he  and  Mrs.  Roberts  determine  to  live  at  She- 
nango — their  reasons  for  this  choice — they  set  out  from  Baltimore  to 
ci  jss  the  mountains — ascending  the  first  mountain — descent  of  Laurel 
Hill— arrival  at  Shenango— attends  the  Natchez  conference— is  sick 


10 


CONTENTS. 


among  the  Indians — Mrs.  Roberta  moves  to  the  double  cabin — condi- 
tion of  the  cabin — deficiency  of  biographical  material — his  deficient 
education — he  and  Mrs.  Roberts  visit  Indiana — hunting — the  ague — 
lies  out  all  night  on  his  journey  to  the  Virginia  conference — Bishop 
Roberts  and  the  young  preacher — Mrs.  Roberts  and  he  visit  Philadel- 
phia on  horse-back — she  returns  alone — incidents  on  the  way — he 
moves  to  Indiana — his  reasons  for  doing  so — his  journey  to  Indiana — 
arrival  and  first  night's  adventures — fixmg  their  new  house — its  fur- 
niture— his  poverty  and  means  of  getting  bread — clearing — planting — 
domestic  economy — his  visit  to  Fincaslle,  Virginia  256-274. 

CHAPTER  XI. 
EPISTOLAHT  COBRESl'ONDENCE. 

Deficiency  in  historical  matter — character  of  his  correspondence — 
brought  home  sick  in  1820 — sermon  at  Chillicothe  in  1821 — letter  to 
Mrs.  Roberts — Rev.  W.  Ledbetter's  letter — letter  from  Bishop  George — 
pastoral  address — Bishop  Roberts  and  the  tavern-keeper — letters  from 
Bishop  Roberts — letter  from  Wm.  Stevenson — the  Bishop  and  an  En- 
ghshman — his  gift  to  the  New  Orleans  Church — shipwreck  on  his 
passage  home — Rev.  Alexander  M'Caine  and  Methodist  Episcopacy — 
Mr.  Dixon's  opinion  of  Methodist  Episcopacy — letter  from  Bishop 
M'Kendree — from  Bishop  Soule — General  conference  of  1828 — letter 
from  Bishop  Soule  on  the  death  of  Bishop  George — Bishop  Roberts 
crossing  the  Miami — incident  at  St.  Louis — letters  from  Bishop  Souk — 
letters  from  Rev.  C.  Holiiday  and  Bishop  M'Kendree — letter  from  Jesse 
Walker — letter  from  Mrs.  Hedding — letter  from  Bishop  M'Kendree — 
M'Kendree  on  trying  members — sickness  of  Bishop  Roberts  at  Louis- 
ville— letter  from  Bishop  Soule — letter  to  his  wife — General  conference 
of  1836  275-332, 

CHAPTER  XII. 

CLOSING  LABORS. 

State  of  Bishop  Roberts'  health — plan  of  episcopal  visitation — indus- 
try of  Bishop  Roberts  when  at  home — meeting  of  the  Bishops  in  New 
York,  May  24th,  1838 — Bishop  Roberts  made  a  life  member  of  the 
American  Bible  Society — urged  by  the  Indiana  conference  to  change 
his  residence — attendance  of  Bishop  Roberts  at  the  Pittsburg  confer- 
ence in  1841 — letter  from  Bishop  Morris — travels  of  Methodist  Bish- 
ops— Bishop  Roberts  visits  the  Indians — preparations  for  the  journey — 
arrives  at  the  Choctaw  agency — at  Fort  Smith — at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth— a  thunder  storm — the  French  trader — Delaware  Indian  and 
the  New  Testament — breaking  of  the  carriage — arrives  at  the  Indian 
Manual  Labor  School— death  of  Rev.  William  Jolinson — arrives  at 


CONTENTS. 


11 


home — estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Indiana  conference — 
his  patronage  to  the  Asbury  Indiana  University — his  portrait  taken  at 
Greencastle — visits  his  brother,  Lewis,  at  Ashgrove,  Illinois — letter  to 
James  Roberts — attends  the  Rock  River  conference  at  Chicago— and 
the  Illinois  conference  at  Winchester — is  much  indisposed — attends 
the  Missouri  conference — his  touching  address  to  the  conference — 
interest  of  the  preachers  of  this  conference — attends  the  Arkansas  con- 
ference— his  contemplated  visit  to  the  Texas  conference — resolutions 
of  that  conference— is  unable  to  attend  its  session — his  travels  during 
the  year — calls  on  the  Bishops  to  preach — specimens  given — salary 
of  Bishop  Roberts — his  Uberality — expenses  peculiar  to  the  episco- 
pacy— labors  of  the  Bishops — comparison  between  tbe  present  and 

former  Bishops  333-365. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
DEATH    AND  CHARACTER. 

State  of  his  health  in  the  winter  of  1842,  and  the  deficiency  of 
natural  remedies  in  his  case — attends  meeting  on  Christmas  eve  at 
Lawrenceport — death  of  George  Roberts,  and  his  last  letter — attends  a 
meeting  at  Bedford  on  New  Year's  eve— statement  of  his  remarks 
there — returns  home  on  Tuesday  and  gets  a  cold — preaches  his  last 
sermon  for  Mr.  Mapes,  on  Sunday,  January  8th — his  theme  was  holi- 
ness in  his  two  last  sermons — attends  a  temperance  meeting — is 
affected  with  a  sense  of  his  approaching  end — his  asthma  increases — 
failure  of  a  physician  to  attend — arrival  of  his  brother  Lewis— increase 
of  the  disease  on  February  22d — account  of  it  by  Dr.  Gavins — visit  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Terrell— visit  of  Rev.  E.  R.  Ames— Rev.  Mr.  Terrell's 
second  visit — pious  sentiments  and  feeling  of  the  Bishop — he  makes 
his  will — conversation  with  Mr.  M'Donald — he  grieves  because  he  could 
not  attend  the  Texas  conference — is  affected  with  slight  delirium — his 
last  social  meeting — his  last  audible  prayer — his  state  previous  to  his 
death — his  death — account  of  him  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Prossor — remark 
of  his  wife  on  his  dying  at  home — his  funeral  sermon — retired  spot 
of  his  burial — not  his  wish  to  be  buried  there — great  respect  paid  to 
his  memory — resolutions  and  funeral  sermon  at  Cincinnati — similar 
exercises  at  Dayton,  Ohio;  Louisville,  Kentucky ;  Madison  and  Nevr 
Albany,  Indiana — resolutions  of  the  Indiana  conference  on  removing 
his  remains  to  Greencastle — reinterment  on  January  18th,  1844 — 
Professor  Larrabee's  discourse  on  the  occasion — his  character  by  Rev. 
L.  L.  Hamline— conclusion  365-407. 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  ROBERTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PARENTAGE  AND   EARLY  LIFE. 

Robert  Richford  Roberts  was  bom  August  2d,  1778, 
in  Frederick  county,  Maryland.  His  father,  Robert  Mor- 
gan Roberts,  was  a  native  of  Cecil  county,  Eastern  Shore 
of  Maryland.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and  was  in 
moderate  circumstances,  having  had  to  commence  business 
for  himself,  without  any  aid  from  his  father,  John  Roberts. 
For  although  his  father  left,  at  his  death,  a  considerable 
estate,  it  was,  according  to  the  laws  then  in  existence  in 
Maryland,  held  by  the  eldest  son,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
the  other  children. 

In  regard  to  his  religion,  Robert  Morgan  Roberts  was 
educated  in  the  principles  of  the  Church  of  England,  of 
which  he  was  a  regular  member;  and  was  zealously 
attached  to  her  articles,  homilies  and  liturgy.  He  was 
remarkable  for  his  gentleness  and  kindness  of  nature,  and 
was  upright  in  his  conduct  towards  all  men. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle.  At 
the  call  of  his  country  he  became  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Brandy  wine,  Germantown 
and  White  Plains. 

The  name  of  Bishop  Roberts'  mother  was  Mary  Richford. 
She  was  the  only  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Esther  Richford, 
and  was  born  at  Georgetown  Cross  Roads,  Kent  county, 
Maryland.  She  was  of  low  stature,  was  active,  and 
buoyant  and  lively  in  her  disposition. 

The  Bishop's  great  grandfather,  on  his  father's  side,  was 
2 


14  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLV  LIFE.  [CHAP,  I. 

from  Wales ;  and  his  maternal  great  grandfather  was  pro- 
bably from  Ireland. 

His  mother  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age  at  tlie  time  of 
her  marriage.  She  was  the  mother  of  thirteen  children, 
six  sons  and  seven  daughters,  eleven  of  whom  lived  to 
years  of  maturity.  The  following  are  the  names  of  the 
eleven,  with  the  time  of  their  birth  and  death  as  far  as  can 
be  ascertained: 

John,  born  January  13th,  1763 — died  January  20th,  1812 ; 
Sarah,  born  June  5th,  1767;  Mary;  Thomas;  Elizabeth, 
born  February  15th,  1771;  Esther,  July  25th,  1776; 
Robert  Richford,  August  2d,  1778;  Lewis,  about  1780 ; 
Priscilla,  May  20th,  1783;  Nancy,  February  14th,  1785; 
Sophia,  May  17th,  1787. 

Robert  Richford  was  the  third  son  of  that  name,  the  other 
two  having  died  while  young.  One  was  drowned  in  a 
spring,  while  quite  small,  and  the  other  died  with  the 
dysentery.  The  mother  was  so  intent  on  continuing  the 
Christian  name  of  her  husband,  and  her  own  maiden  name, 
in  the  family,  that  she  persisted  in  attaching  them  to  the  son 
that  was  born  after  the  death  of  the  two  just  mentioned. 

The  father  of  Robert  R.  Roberts,  being  left  dependent  on 
his  own  efforts,  and  having  a  large  family  to  provide  for, 
was  unable  to  bestow  much  education  on  his  children. 
For  though  his  mother  was  an  only  child,  and  although  her 
father  was  in  affluent  circumstances,  especially  in  early  life, 
it  does  not  appear  that  any  amount  of  property  was  realized 
as  a  maternal  inheritance.  We  gather  this  from  the  fol- 
lowing facts: — There  is  no  account  of  any  special  aid 
from  this  source,  and  her  father  depended  principally  on 
the  Roberts  family,  in  old  age,  for  care  and  support.  She 
was  raised,  however,  in  :iffluent  circumstances  ;  so  that  the 
inconveniences  of  less  prosperous  days,  after  she  had  be- 
come the  mother  of  a  numerous  family,  so  afiected  her 
health  as  to  be  the  source  of  much  bodily  affliction. 


CHAP.  1.]  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  15 

On  this  account,  the  children's  education  consisted  only 
of  the  rudiments  of  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic,  which, 
in  those  days,  formed  the  entire  course  of  common  school 
instruction.  The  elder  members  of  the  family,  however, 
were  more  favored  in  this  respect  than  the  younger,  as 
their  condition  at  that  time  was  more  advantageous  for  the 
acquisition  of  learning  than  it  was  subsequently. 

Robert  Richford  was  put  to  school  when  between  four 
and  live  years  of  age.  Before  seven,  he  was  able  to  read 
the  Bible  very  intelligibly.  He  was  also  instructed  in  the 
catechism  and  prayers  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  had 
been  baptized  in  infancy,  by  a  minister  of  that  Church. 
At  a  very  early  age,  religious  impressions  were  made  on 
his  mind  in  reading  the  Bible,  especially  the  subject  of  the 
resurrection,  as  set  forth  in  the  book  of  Revelation. 

At  this  time,  during  harvest  and  on  public  occasions, 
much  use  was  made  of  rum.  His  father,  in  common  with 
others,  kept  it  in  his  house.  One  day,  when  Robert 
Richford  was  about  five  years  of  age,  his  mother  went  with 
the  usual  afternoon  "  piece  "  to  the  harvest  field,  and  left 
him  in  the  charge  of  his  sister,  Esther,  who  was  about  two 
years  older.  Esther  went  into  the  cellar,  drew  some  rum, 
and  gave  him  to  drink  at  pleasure.  Without  knowing  the 
strength  of  the  liquor,  he  drank  plentifully,  which  so 
affected  him,  that  he  shortly  became  insensible.  His  sister 
was  so  alarmed,  that  she  entirely  forgot  the  barrel,  and  the 
rum,  running  out,  very  soon  covered  the  floor  to  a  consid- 
erable extent.  When  the  mother  arrived  at  the  house,  it 
was  with  difficulty  he  could  be  brought  to  a  state  of  sensi- 
bility. This  so  affected  young  Robert,  that  he  formed  the 
strongest  dislike  to  spirituous  liquors  of  any  kind  ;  and  in 
after  life  he  observed  the  most  rigid  abstinence  from  all 
intoxicating  drinks.  His  own  narrow  escape,  the  evil 
eflects  of  spirits  on  others,  as  well  as  a  strong  moral  sense 
of  right  and  wrong,  made  him  a  practical  "  totaller,"  even 


16  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [CHAP.  I; 

until  he  closed  his  life.  This  sad  disaster  is  only  a  speci- 
men of  the  innumerable  evils  accruing  to  families,  from 
keeping-  spirituous  liquors  in  the  house  as  a  beverage.  For 
if  only  the  older  members  of  a  family  use  intoxicating 
drinks  even  sparingly,  the  younger  may  use  them  to  a  more 
injurious  extent;  and  all,  or  most  of  them,  may  lay  the 
foundation  for  becoming  confirmed  drunkards,  by  taking 
them  either  occasionally  or  statedly,  in  moderate  quantities, 
whetlier  unmixed  or  diluted  with  water,  or  some  other 
liquid. 

In  the  year  1785,  just  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  Mr.  Roberts  sold  his  property  in  Maryland,  and 
moved  with  his  family  to  Ligonier  Valley,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  country  was  then  new,  with 
scarcely  any  Churches  or  schools.  The  father  and  such  of 
the  sons  as  were  able  to  work  were  closely  engaged  in 
opening  a  farm.  The  mother  became  very  much  afflicted 
with  rheumatism  and  other  infirmities,  besides  having  the 
care  of  a  large  family  of  ten  children,  the  eldest  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  the  youngest  an  infant. 

The  people  of  the  Valley,  as  far  as  they  were  religious, 
were  generally  Presbyterians  and  Seceders.  Mr.  Roberts 
seldom  worshiped  with  them,  as  he  could  never  be  satis- 
fied with  their  doctrines.  And  when  his  youngest  daughter 
was  born,  such  were  his  prejudices,  that  she  was  taken 
twenty  miles  to  be  baptized.  Although  there  were  several 
Churches  of  Presbyterians  and  Seceders  in  the  Valley  at 
that  time,  there  was  clearly  very  little  experimental  religion. 
Indeed  it  was  not  unusual  for  some  of  the  elders  of  the 
Churches  to  become  intoxicated.  The  person  who  appeared 
to  enjoy  religion  beyond  others  was  a  Quaker.  He  was 
regarded  as  a  most  singular  character,  because  he  would  not 
take  any  part  in  the  customary  diversions  of  the  country, 
dancing,  balls,  and  such  like.  This  man,  whose  name 
was  Abel  Fisher,  united  about  thirty  years  afterwards  with 


CHAP.  1.]  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  17 

the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Though  of  very  strict 
morals,  he  seemed  to  be  deficient  in  experimental  religion. 
By  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  he  became  deeply  con- 
cerned about  his  eternal  destiny,  but  was  very  unwilling  to 
receive  baptism.  When  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  the 
ordinance,  however,  he  became  urgent  to  be  baptized ;  and 
as  there  was  no  preacher  in  the  neighborhood  at  the  precise 
time,  rather  than  wait  any  longer,  he  set  out  towards  Union- 
town,  a  distance  of  over  forty  miles,  after  the  Rev.  James 
Riley,  who  had  proceeded  for  that  place  a  few  hours  before. 
He  followed  Mr.  Riley  on  horse-back,  at  a  rapid  gait,  and 
overtook  him  at  the  Youghaganey,  at  or  near  where  Con- 
nelsville  now  stands.  He  hailed  the  preacher,  while  yet 
at  a  distance,  and  told  the  cause  of  his  haste.  After  some 
conversation,  Mr.  Riley  baptized  him  at  the  Youghaganey. 
This  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  he  had  peculiarly  strong 
prejudices  against  Mr.  Riley;  but  when  his  mind  became 
duly  interested,  his  prejudices  gave  way,  and  he  was  bap- 
tized by  the  man  who  formerly  was  by  no  means  his 
favorite.  He  lived  a  very  devoted  life  ever  after,  and  died 
an  ornament  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  to  our 
common  Christianity. 

The  principles  of  religion  as  understood  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roberts,  were  inculcated  on  the  children  with  some  in- 
dustry. They  were  orderly,  conscientious  people ;  but 
rested  in  the  outward  forms  of  religion,  without  knowing 
experimentally  their  spirituality,  or  deep  design.  For 
several  years  after  their  removal  to  Ligonier,  they  were 
without  any  religious  privileges,  except  those  of  a  domestic 
kind,  such  as  reading  the  word  of  God  and  a  few  religious 
books,  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  with  moderate 
strictness,  and  occasionally  on  the  Sabbath  some  forms  of 
prayer.  Mr.  Roberts  had  been  strictly  warned  by  his 
minister,  before  he  left  Maryland,  against  any  religious 
alliances  with  the  sectarians,  especially  the  Methodists, 
2* 


18  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [cHAP.  I. 

whom  he  represented  as  peculiarly  dangerous  religious  as- 
sociates. The  family,  as  they  grew  up,  became  fond  of  the 
customary  amusements  of  the  times  and  place,  dancing 
and  such  like ;  the  natural  result  of  which  was,  that  they 
had  not  much  regard  for  the  spiritualities  of  religious  duties, 
or  religious  services.  This  remark  applies  particularly  to 
the  older  members  of  the  family. 

The  removal  of  Mr.  Roberts  to  Ligonier  was  a  check 
to  the  education  of  his  rising  family ;  as  the  newness  of  the 
country  and  his  limited  means  did  not  allow  mm  to  expend 
money  for  their  instruction ;  nor  could  their  time  be  spared 
from  the  demands  on  their  services  in  clearing  land  and  pro- 
viding for  their  sustenance.  Young  Robert  R.  was  only 
seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Westmore- 
land. At  this  tender  age  he  was  industriously  engaged  in 
the  common  work  of  clearing  land.  There  were  no  schools 
then  within  reach,  to  which  he  could  be  sent ;  and  if  there 
had  been,  he  had  not  the  command  of  his  time  to  attend 
them.  His  mother  became  much  afflicted,  and  also  bur- 
dened with  the  cares  of  a  large  family.  On  account  of 
these  circumstances,  and  pardy  through  the  carelessness 
and  negligence  incident  to  boys  of  his  age,  in  a  short  time 
he  could  scarcely  read  or  even  spell  with  ease.  But  when 
his  mother's  licalth  returned,  she  put  him  to  his  books 
again,  so  that  he  soon  regained  what  he  had  lost,  and  thus 
could  again  read  the  Bible,  whose  pages  he  continually 
perused.  Except  what  he  learned  by  reading  in  tiie  family, 
his  education  stopped  here,  even  up  to  the  eighteenth  year 
of  his  age,  when  he  received  two  or  three  months'  school- 
ing, of  which  we  will  give  an  account  on  a  future  page. 
At  that  time  he  was  a  boy  of  superior  capacity,  and  his 
progress  in  knowledge  was  great,  considermg  his  circum- 
stances. 

In  the  year  1788,  when  Robert  R.  Roberts  was  about 
ten  years  of  age,  the  Metliodist  preachers  went  to  the 


CBAF.  I.]  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  19 

neighborhood  where  his  father  resided,  and  preached  with- 
in half  a  mile  of  his  father's  house.  The  preachers  then 
on  the  circuit  (Redstone)  were  Jacob  Surton  and  Lasley 
Matthews.  The  elder  brothers  and  sisters  of  Robert  R. 
frequendy  heard  them,  and  very  often  amused  themselves 
by  making  remarks  upon  the  sermons  and  meetings.  Mr. 
Robert  M.  Roberts  would  not  hear  those  preachers  at  all, 
as  he  believed  them  to  be  the  false  prophets;  and  he 
adhered  to  his  determination  until  some  of  his  family 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  prejudices 
arose,  as  before  stated,  from  the  advice  which  his  minister 
had  given  him  concerning  them  while  he  resided  in  Mary- 
land, just  before  he  moved  to  Ligonier.  After  they  had 
preached  sometime  in  the  neighborhood,  Mrs.  Roberts 
went  to  hear  them,  and  took  Robert  R.  with  her.  The 
preacher  who  addressed  them  on  that  occasion  was  the 
Rev.  James  O.  Cull.  He  was  not  then  a  regular  itinerant 
preacher ;  but  was  sent  to  fill  the  place  of  one  of  the 
preachers  on  the  circuit.  His  text  was  in  the  third  chap- 
ter of  Zephaniah,  eighth  verse,  "Tlierefore  wait  ye  upon 
me,"  &c.  He  was  a  "  son  of  thunder."  The  sermon 
was  an  alarming  one,  and  produced  great  effect  upon  the 
congregation.  *  It  so  deeply  affected  Mrs.  Roberts  that  she 
wept  much.  It  also  affected,  to  no  small  extent,  young 
Robert  R. ;  and  had  he  not  been  under  the  influence  of 
prejudice,  he  would  have  been  much  more  affected.  He 
believed  his  father  knew  the  character  of  those  preachers ; 
and  he  also  considered  them  false  prophets.  Still,  with 
all  these  prejudices,  the  sermon  seemed  to  him  to  be  true; 
and  he  concluded  if  it  was  true,  both  he  and  the  other 
members  of  the  family  must  change  their  course  of  life, 
or  be  lost  for  ever.  On  that  very  day  the  first  Methodist 
society  in  that  neighborhood  was  formed ;  several  joining 
at  the  time.  Mrs.  Roberts  would  probably  have  united 
with  them,  had  she  not  known  the  prejudices  of  her  hus- 


20  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [CHAP.  1. 

band.  It  is  believed  that  she  knew  something  of  experi- 
mental religion,  as  her  mother  had  heard  Whitefield,  and 
was,  there  is  reason  to  think,  converted  under  his  min- 
istry. Some,  however,  supposed  that  Whitefield's  preach- 
ing had  thrown  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Roberts  into  a  state  of 
mental  derangement.  Mrs.  Roberts  did  not  return  again 
to  the  meetings  for  sometime,  owing  to  the  objections  of 
Mr.  Roberts  and  other  members  of  the  family  :  neither  did 
young  Robert  R.  attend  them  for  more  than  a  year. 

With  brief  intervals,  however,  the  other  members  of  the 
family  continued  to  attend,  and  made  their  observations  on 
the  preaching  and  meetings  as  usual.  Many  things  were 
said  against  class  meetings  and  love  feasts,  though  none 
of  the  family  had  ever  been  at  any  of  these  meetings. 
Shortly  after,  a  quarterly  meeting  was  to  be  held  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  distant.  As  much  had  been  said,  by  way 
of  disparagement,  against  class  meetings  and  love  feasts, 
the  eldest  daughters  of  Mr.  Roberts  earnestly  requested 
their  brother,  John,  who  was  always  a  very  serious  man, 
to  go  with  some  young  women,  members  of  the  Church, 
and  attend  the  love  feast,  and  bring  back  an  account  of  what 
might  transpire  there.  Accordingly  he  went ;  although  the 
young  women,  knowing  his  errand,  and*  his  indefinite 
views  concerning  religion,  would  rather  at  that  time  have 
been  without  his  company.  The  sisters  waited  impa- 
tiently for  his  return ;  and  their  anxiety  was  much  in- 
creased when  they  found  he  staid  beyond  the  appointed 
time.  Many  were  the  reasonings  concerning  the  cause 
of  his  delay.  On  his  return,  they  asked  him  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard — what  the  love  feast  was  like — what 
they  did  there,  and  so  on.  To  their  great  astonishment, 
he  had  but  little  to  say,  appeared  very  grave,  and  finally 
remarked,  that  he  believed  the  Metliodists  were  good 
people.  This  was  strange  news  to  Robert  R.,  as  he  had 
formerly  heard  his  brother  John  frequently  say  very  severe 


CHAP.  I.]  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  UFE.  21 

things  against  them.  The  brothers  and  sisters  continued  to 
go  to  the  meetings,  but  made  fewer  remarks  than  formerly. 
Robert  R.,  and  his  father  and  mother,  did  not  attend  them 
for  sometime  after. 

By  this  time,  Robert  R.  began  to  be  able  to  assist  his 
father  to  a  considerable  extent  on  the  farm.  Returning 
home  one  evening  from  the  labors  of  the  day,  he  heard, 
at  some  distance  in  the  woods,  an  unusual  sound.  At  first 
he  knew  not  what  it  was,  but  supposed  it  to  be  a  wild 
beast,  as  such  were  then  numerous  in  that  country.  He 
listened  a  while,  and  then  slowly  drew  near  the  sound, 
untd  he  ascertained  it  to  be  a  human  voice.  Having  ap- 
proached quite  close,  he  found  it  proceeded  from  his  sister 
Elizabeth,  who  was  much  engaged  in  prayer.  He  listened 
attentively  to  her  supplications,  and  found  she  was  pleading 
with  God  to  have  mercy  on  her  for  Christ's  sake,  and  par- 
don her  sins.  This  prayer  alarmed  him  very  much.  He 
wondered  what  unheard  of,  enormous  sin  she  could  have 
committed  that  seemed  so  deeply  to  affect  her ;  as  he 
thought  no  ordinary  sins  could  be  the  occasion  of  such 
great  agony  of  soul.  After  staying  a  short  time,  he  re- 
turned without  interrupting  her,  and  kept  the  matter  in  his 
own  breast,  not  even  informing  any  one  of  the  family.  The 
prayer  of  Elizabeth  made  a  very  deep  impression  on  his 
mind.  She  was  about  seven  years  older  than  he,  and 
withal  a  person  of  excellent  temper,  and  was  his  favorite 
sister. 

Not  long  after  this,  he  ascertained  that  liis  three  elder 
sisters,  Sarali,  Elizabeth  and  Esther,  had  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  and  that  his  eldest  sister,  Sa- 
rah, was  ready  on  all  occasions  to  pray  in  public  when  called 
on.  She  affectionately  told  her  father  that  he  oughf  to  have 
family  prayer.  This  had  been  frequently  attended  lo  on 
the  Sabbath,  but  not  regularly.  Mrs.  Roberts  was  much 
grieved  at  the  zeal  of  Sarah  in  reference  to  family  prayer : 


22  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [cHAPi  I. 

as  Mr.  Roberts  was  esteemed  by  all  a  good  Christian,  being 
a  man  of  strict  morality.  The  advice,  however,  of  Sarah 
came  in  place,  as  she  was  the  eldest  sister,  and,  owing  to 
the  feebleness  of  her  mother,  the  care  and  management  of 
the  family  principally  devolved  upon  her.  The  father 
yielded  to  her  advice,  called  the  family  together,  took  his 
prayer  book,  and  read  prayers.  But  she  was  not  satisfied, 
and  told  him  he  ought  to  pray  without  his  book.  He  then 
wrote  a  form  of  prayer,  and  used  it  instead  of  the  printed 
forms.  But  still  she  was  not  satisfied.  He  then  said  to 
her,  "  My  child,  pray  yourself."  She  did  so,  and  kept  up 
family  prayer  for  sometime,  some  of  the  rest  assisting  her. 
Sarah  possessed  an  unusual  gift  in  prayer :  few,  whether 
ministers  or  laymen,  were  her  equals  in  this  respect.  Some 
of  the  children  having  joined  the  Church,  Mrs.  Roberts  also 
united,  and  in  a  short  time  two  of  her  sons,  and  her  husband 
also. 

Shortly  after  some  of  the  members  of  the  family  had 
joined  the  Church,  Robert  R.  attended  regularly,  and  was 
often  deeply  affected.  He  prayed  in  secret,  and  earnestly 
desired  the  Lord  to  have  mercy  upon  him.  For  some  cause 
the  preaching  was  soon  moved  to  his  father's  house,  and 
continued  there  for  many  years,  or  until  the  family  moved 
away  to  Shenango.  He  now  had  the  counsel,  prayers  and 
instructions  of  the  preachers,  as  they  took  great  pains  to 
inform  his  mind  and  do  him  good. 

A.S  he  was  the  principal  aid  of  his  father  on  the  farm,  he 
was  kept  constantly  at  work.  He  was  able-bodied  for  his 
age,  and  he  willingly  assisted  his  father  in  every  thing  that 
was  to  be  done.  His  younger  brother,  Lewis,  was  too 
small  to  aid  much,  and  witlial  of  feeble  constitution,  so  that, 
for  the  most  part,  lie  attended  school.  His  elder  brothers, 
Thomas  and  John,  had  arrived  to  maturity,  and  were  em- 
ployed in  providing  for  themselves.  On  these  accounts, 
Robert  was  the  principal  male  support  of  the  family ;  and 


CHAP,  1.3  PARENTAGE  AND  EARL^B  LIFE.  23 

he  well  demeaned  himself  in  tlie  relation  in  which  he  stood 
to  them.  His  clothing  was  the  common  back-woods  cos- 
tume :  the  broad  rimmed,  low  crowned,  white  wool  hat,  the 
hunting  shirt  of  tow  linen,  buck-skin  breeches,  and  moc- 
casons  or  coarse  shoes.  As  a  specimen  of  his  industry, 
take  the  following :  A  quarterly  meeting  was  held  at  his 
father's  house.  As  many  came  from  a  great  distance  in 
these  days  to  such  meetings,  those  who  lived  in  the  neigh- 
borhood entertained  them,  so  that  their  cabins  were  well 
filled.  The  house  where  the  quarterly  meeting  was  held 
usually  had  a  double  portion.  It  should  also  be  observed, 
that  then  there  were  no  regularly  built  meeting-houses.  Of 
course,  one  single  room  served  for  place  of  worship,  kitchen, 
dining-room,  parlor,  and  sleeping  room.  Robert  R.  attended 
to  every  person  who  came  to  his  father's  house.  He  was 
closely  employed  in  taking  care  of  the  horses,  and  waiting 
on  the  people,  and  doing  every  thing  necessary  on  such 
occasions.  In  short,  he  did  all  that  the  most  sedulous  ser- 
vant man  could  do  at  the  house  of  his  employer.  This 
gave  occasion  to  a  person  who  came  from  a  distance  to  ask 
the  sisters,  «'  What  rough  looking  hired  man  is  that  with 
the  hunting  shirt  on  ?' 

Every  moment  that  could  be  saved  from  the  labors  of  the 
farm,  was  industriously  spent  in  reading  and  devotion.  He 
perused  with  great  care  Fletcher's  Appeal,  and  also  his 
Checks,  together  with  other  excellent  works,  so  that  he  be- 
came well  instructed  in  the  doctrines  of  Metlaodism,  and 
thoroughly  confirmed  in  their  truth. 

As  their  house  was  the  place  of  worship,  the  children 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  class  meetings  and  prayer  meet- 
ings, as  well  as  preaching,  together  with  the  conversation 
and  instructions  of  the  preachers  in  the  family  circle.  Sa- 
rah Roberts,  the  eldest  sister,  required  Robert,  Lewis,  and 
the  younger  children,  during  class  and  other  religious  meet- 
ings, to  sit  together  on  a  bench  behind  the  large  table ;  and 


24  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [CHAP.  1. 

ehe  watched  them  with  maternal  and  Christian  solicitude, 
in  order  to  see  that  all  were  present,  and  that  they  behaved 
themselves  in  a  proper  manner  during  the  various  exercises. 
This  regulation  had  an  excellent  effect  upon-  their  minds 
and  morals,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  their  future  excellent 
religious  life. 

Before  Robert  R.  experienced  religion,  while  engaged 
one  day  in  making  sugar,  about  three  or  four  miles  from  his 
father's  house,  he  broke  his  leg.  It  was  occasioned  by  the 
dangerous  work  of  felling  a  tree,  against  which  another  had 
fallen.  A  small  limb  or  branch  struck  his  leg  and  broke  it. 
Mr.  Rogers,  his  brother-in-law,  brought  him  home  on  horse- 
back, with  his  broken  leg  dangling  at  the  horse's  side.  His 
mother  was  much  alarmed  on  witnessing  the  sight,  and  she 
was  but  little  relieved  by  the  remark  of  Mr.  Rogers,  who, 
to  divert  the  agonies  of  the  afflicted  mother,  observed,  that 
"  Robert  would  yet  ride  in  a  carriage,  and  she  would  see 
it."  It  was  broken  a  second  time,  when  it  was  nearly  well, 
by  his  turning  around  in  the  door,  with  great  haste,  on  see- 
ing some  strangers  approach  the  house.  This  temporary 
affliction  gave  him  time  for  serious  reflection  and  reading, 
which  he  improved  to  great  account,  so  that  this  disaster 
was  ultimately  more  a  gain  than  a  loss. 

Such  was  his  improvement  in  religious  knowledge,  as 
well  as  his  sedate  religious  conduct,  that  when  the  preach- 
ing was  moved  to  his  father's  house,  and  before  he  expe- 
rienced religion,  he  was  chosen,  by  the  Rev.  T.  M'Clena- 
han,  catechist  over  the  children  of  the  neighborhood.  Their 
names  were  recorded  in  a  book,  they  were  met  weekly,  and 
learned  the  Instructions  for  Children.  This  admirable 
plan  was  prosecuted  with  great  order  and  industry  by  tne 
preachers  of  those  days  ;  and  probably  the  preachers  of  the 
present  day  do  not  excel  them  in  these  respects,  if,  indeed, 
they  equal  them. 

Such  was  his  excellent  moral  conduct,  and  such  his 


CHAP.  I.]  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  25 

attainments  in  divine  things,  that  nothing  seemed  to  be 
wanting,  in  order  to  make  him  a  Christian,  but  the  evidence 
of  his  acceptance  with  God,  through  the  merits  of  Christ. 
This  was  graciously  bestowed  on  him  in  the  month  of 
May,  1792,  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  age.  We  will 
give  the  particulars  of  this  important  event  as  written  in 
the  brief  narrative  of  his  life  by  the  President  of  Asbury 
University,  from  the  Bishop's  own  mouth,  in  the  summer 
of  1842  :  "One  day  about  sunrise  in  the  month  of  May, 
I  was  in  a  corner  of  the  fence  praying,  when,  I  humbly 
trust,  my  sins  were  pardoned,  and  God,  for  Christ's  sake, 
accepted  me.  Before  that  time,  I  had  frequently  had  sweet 
intimations  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  the  Lord.  My 
heart  was  tender,  and  I  felt  as  if  I  could  love  God  and  his 
people.  But  yet,  until  that  morning,  my  mind  was  not  at 
rest.  Then  every  thing  seemed  changed.  Nature  wore  a 
new  aspect,  as  I  arose  and  went  to  my  work  with  cheerful- 
ness; though,  I  own,  I  did  not  then  know  whether  I  had 
received  all  that  I  should  look  for  in  conversion.  I  never 
had  such  alarming  views  of  my  condition  as  some  have 
experienced.  My  mind  was  gradually  opened;  and 
although  I  had  always  led  a  moral  life,  I  firmly  believed  that 
my  heart  must  be  changed.  Owing  to  my  youth,  I  cannot 
now  remember  the  precise  day  of  my  conversion,  though 
the  scene,  as  it  occurred  that  morning,  has  ever  been  deeply 
printed  on  my  memory.  It  happened  in  my  fourteenth 
year,  A.  D.  1792." 

Before  he  joined  the  Church,  and  after  he  experienced 
religion,  he  was  very  much  exercised  concerning  the  great 
work  of  preaching.  He  would  frequently  ponder  over  in 
his  mind  the  outlines  of  sermons;  and  sometimes  he 
would  give  vent  to  his  impressions  by  actually  preaching 
aloud,  either  alone  or  to  some  children.  One  day  he  thus 
employed  himself  in  preaching  to  Lewis,  his  younger 
brother,  in  a  grove  of  plum  trees,  not  very  far  from  his 


86  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [|CHAP.  I. 

father's  house,  though  sufficiently  remote  for  his  voice  to 
be  unheard  by  any  in  or  about  the  house.  He  continued 
so  long  in  his  discourse,  that  Lewis  began  to  be  troubled  at 
the  delay.  It  was  on  the  Sabbath  day  too,  and  it  encroached 
on  the  regular  hour  of  meeting  at  his  father's  house,  during 
which  time  all  the  children  were  expected  to  be  in  their 
places  on  the  long  bench  before  alluded  to.  Nevertheless, 
it  appears  that  Lewis  listened  to  his  brother  until  he  finished 
his  discourse.  Lewis  immediately  started  for  home,  in 
order  to  comply  with  his  obligation  of  being  in  his  place 
during  religious  services.  He  arrived  a  few  minutes  before 
the  conclusion  of  the  meeting ;  and  when  it  was  over,  he 
stood  crying  at  the  door,  excusing  himself  for  his  absence, 
by  saying,  "  Bob  preached  so  long  among  the  plum  bushes, 
that  I  could  not  get  away." 

After  he  had  experienced  religion,  he  felt  himself  identi- 
fied with  the  Methodists,  and  was  with  them  in  all  their 
meetings,  both  public  and  private.  Nevertheless,  such  was 
his  backwardness  of  disposition  and  demeanor,  as  well  as 
his  conscientious  scruples,  that  he  feared  to  unite  with  the 
Church,  lest,  being  young,  he  might  go  astray,  and  thereby 
bring  reproach  on  the  cause  of  religion.  Another  reason 
why  he  deemed  it  advisable  to  delay,  was  that  his  father 
thought  it  best  for  him  to  defer  so  important  a  step  till  he 
was  a  little  older.  In  consequence  of  this  delay,  the 
preachers  conversed  with  him  on  the  subject.  Some  used 
great  kindness  and  forbearance  towards  him,  being  influenced 
by  the  consideration  of  his  youth,  and  his  excellent  moral 
and  religious  character.  Others  again  used  great  plainness, 
and  sometimes  proceeded  to  employ  what  his  tender  and 
youthful  mind  considered  severity.  An  occurrence  took 
place  at  this  time,  which  tried  him  exceedingly.  He  walked 
ten  miles  on  Sunday  morning  to  attend  love  feast  at  a 
quarterly  meeting.  He  was  clothed  in  the  best  he  had, 
which  was  only  his  tow  hunting  shirt,  and  the  correspond- 


CHAP.  1.3  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  27 

ing  parts  of  his  back-woods  dress.  The  preacher,  who 
was  withal  well  acquainted  with  him,  refused  to  let  him 
into  the  love  feast,  until  all  the  others  had  got  in  that  he 
intended  to  admit :  he  then  permitted  him  to  enter.  What 
the  reasons  of  the  preacher  were,  we  have  not  particularly 
learned.  Probably  he  thought  that  it  would  serve  as  a 
reason  to  impress  him  with  the  importance  of  such  religious 
privileges  ;  or  that  as  he  was  not  yet  a  member,  the  rule  of 
Discipline  would  not  admit  him ;  or  it  might  be  that  the 
whole  was  rather  an  undesigned  incident  which  occurred  in 
tlie  crowd  of  various  applicants  for  admission.  Be  this  as 
it  may,  the  circumstance  injured  very  much  the  feelings  of 
young  Roberts,  so  that  the  meeting  did  him  very  little  good, 
as  he  at  that  time  supposed.  Nevertheless  he  felt  no 
prejudice  against  the  Church  on  this  account.  He  sat 
behind  the  door  in  the  most  retired  part  of  the  house, 
reflecting  on  his  lot. 

After  this  preacher  and  his  colleague  left  the  circuit,  their 
places  were  supplied  by  Messrs.  Bell  and  Bunn,  who 
seemed  to  understand  the  case  of  young  Roberts  better  tlian 
their  predecessors.  He  evidently  needed  much  encourage- 
ment, rather  than  reproof  or  the  adoption  of  any  severe 
measure.  They  treated  him  with  peculiar  kindness,  and 
used  every  opportunity  to  encourage  and  instruct  him.  He 
was  at  meeting  on  all  occasions,  and  attended  class  most 
punctually,  it  being  still  held  at  his  father's  house.  One 
day  Mr.  Bell  meeting  the  class,  Robert  was  the  last  to 
whom  he  spoke,  for  he  always  sat  back  towards  the  door : 
after  Mr.  Bell  had  spoken  to  him,  he  turned  to  the  class- 
leader,  and  asked  him  if  there  were  any  objection  to  brother 
Robert's  joining  the  Church  on  probation.  The  leader 
replied  that  he  knew  of  no  objection  :  neither  did  the  other 
members  of  the  class  know  of  any.  Indeed  he  was  highly 
prized  by  all  as  a  very  pious  boy,  whose  religious  experi- 
ence was  remarkably  clear,  whose  life  was  unblamable,  and 


28  PARENTACE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [cHAP.  I. 

whose  humility,  gentleness  and  unassuming  pretenses  gave 
him  Yavor  in  the  sight  of  all  men.  The  preacher  then  put 
down  his  name  on  the  class-book.  Young  Robert  R. 
thought,  that  as  the  preacher  had  thus  recorded  his  name,  it 
should  stay  there;  and  he  often  said  afterwards,  that  he 
never  regretted  this  impressive  incident.  Indeed  it  Avas  in 
perfect  accordance  at  this  time  with  his  wishes  ;  though  he 
had  not  enough  confidence  in  himself  to  apply  for  admis- 
sion, or  to  present  himself  along  with  others,  when  invited 
in  the  usual  way  to  unite  with  the  people  of  God.  This 
occurred  in  September,  1793,  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  his 
age.  He  continued  a  faithful  member  of  the  Church, 
giving  evidence  to  all  that  he  was  a  Christian.  He  was 
also,  by  common  consent,  designated  for  a  preacher ;  though 
his  own  pretensions  were  of  the  most  retiring  and  unob- 
trusive character. 

In  the  fall  of  1795,  he  justly  concluded  that  he  stood  in 
need  of  better  clothing.  His  apparel  consisted  of  the  most 
common  kind,  the  whole  being  made  of  home  fabric.  The 
circumstances  of  his  father  did  not  enable  him  to  purchase 
better.  The  elder  brothers  had  received  their  portion  of 
the  paternal  inheritance,  which  was  for  the  most  part 
improved  land;  this  enabled  them  to  procure  an  ample 
supply  of  good  articles  for  dress.  But  Robert  R.  having 
all  along  endeavored  to  do  his  utmost  for  the  support  of  his 
father  and  mother,  and  the  younger  members  of  the  family, 
was  clothed  in  the  most  economical  manner,  and  was  even 
unwilling  to  press  his  father  for  that  kind  of  clothing  which 
was  requisite  for  a  person  of  his  age.  Accordingly,  with 
the  full  consent  of  his  father,  he  and  Stephen  Riley,  by 
the  instniction  of  Mr.  Cornelius  Riley,  father  of  Stephen, 
went  to  Laurel  Hill,  a  part  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  in 
order  to  make  tar,  for  the  purpose  of  selling  it,  so  that  with 
the  proceeds  they  might  purchase  clothing ;  as  tar  was  then 
the  most  salable  product  which  they  could  avail  themselves 


CHAP.  1.3  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  29 

of.  They  took  their  provisions  with  them,  made  their 
camp  in  the  woods,  cooked  their  own  victuals,  and  lived  by 
these  means  with  very  little  expense.  Having  sold  the 
tar,  they  divided  the  proceeds.  With  his  share,  Robert 
purchased  as  good  clothing  as  the  country  afforded,  or 
rather  as  his  limited  means  could  reach.  For  breeches,  the 
customary  wear  of  the  times,  he  bought  yellow  cassimer. 
The  coat  was  of  green  cloth.  This  was  the  first  bought 
suit  with  which  he  was  favored.  His  principal  object 
was,  to  have  better  clothes  to  go  to  meeting  with.  His 
brother  Thomas,  it  seems,  had  been  ashamed  of  his  homely 
apparel ;  and  it  is  probable  he  made  some  pointed  remarks 
in  reference  to  the  matter,  which  stirred  up  not  a  little  the 
latent  ambition  of  Robert. 

At  this  time  he  felt  the  need  of  more  instruction  at  school. 
He  enjoyed  religious  information  and  privileges,  and  made 
much  progress  in  spiritual  things ;  but  his  portion  of  learn- 
ing was  small.  While  very  young,  as  we  have  seen,  he 
learned  to  read  the  Scriptures.  After  his  removal  to 
Ligonier,  this  was  nearly  lost ;  but  soon  recovered  again  by 
the  attention  of  his  pious  mother.  Afterwards  he  improved 
himself  much  in  reading  religious  books.  But  he  greatly 
felt  the  need  of  some  further  instructions  in  arithmetic  and 
writing.  A  part  of  the  winter  of  1795-96,  was  spent  in 
going  to  school ;  the  whole  time,  however,  not  amounting 
to  three  months.  This  was  nearly  all  the  schooling  he 
received  from  the  time  he  left  Maryland,  and  it  was  the 
last  with  which  he  was  favored.  Mr.  Carney,  an  Irish 
school-master,  taught  near  his  father's  at  this  time ;  but  not 
being  a  man  of  very  good  -character,  he  did  not  wish  to  go 
to  him.  Mr.  M'Abee,  a  very  honorable  man,  and  compe- 
tent teacher  for  the  times,  an  Irishman  also,  as  were  nearly 
all  the  teachers  of  that  day  in  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia, 
taught  a  school  about  three  and  a  half  miles  from  his 
father's,  at  Mr.  Matthew  Fisher's,  which  he  attended.  He 
3* 


30  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.  [cHAP,  I. 

had  to  do  the  thrashing  at  his  father's,  an  indispensable 
part  of  the  work  on  a  farm ;  and  this  he  performed  mostly 
on  Saturdays,  going  home  every  Friday  evening,  and  return- 
ing on  Monday  morning.  He  had  likewise  to  work  for 
his  boarding,  during  his  leisure  hours,  with  Mr.  M'Cracken, 
who,  though  a  kind  and  obliging  man,  could  not  afford  to 
board  any  one  without  pay.  Robert  R.  scutched  flax  for 
him  both  morning  and  evening  during  his  stay  there.  He 
worked  at  this  early  and  late,  and  could  scutch  more  flax 
than  Mr.  M'Cracken's  two  daughters,  both  of  whom  were 
older  than  he.  It  was  not  strange  then  to  see  women 
engaged  in  this  kind  of  work.  Indeed  it  was  common,  and 
elicited  no  remark. 

At  school,  he  made,  for  the  time,  the  best  proficiency 
possible  in  writing  and  arithmetic.  Indeed,  reading,  writing 
and  arithmetic,  constituted  the  course  of  common  school 
instruction  in  those  times.  Some  added  book-keeping ;  but 
this  was  a  rare  acquisition  for  a  teacher ;  and  the  learners  in 
this  branch  were  very  few.  Grammar  and  geography 
were  then  unknown  in  common  schools. 

The  teachers,  too,  in  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  <fcc.,  were 
mostly  Irish,  and  nearly  all  Protestants.  In  their  native 
country,  before  emigrating,  their  aim  was  generally  to 
acquire  sufficient  knowledge  in  the  branches  spoken  of  to 
enable  them  to  teach  in  the  United  States ;  with  the  inten- 
tion of  abandoning  their  profession  when  prospects  might 
entice  them  to  more  lucrative  pursuits.  In  reading,  writing 
and  arithmetic,  they  were  adepts  ;  especially  in  the  branch 
last  mentioned.  They  often  prided  themselves  in  working 
hard  questions  in  it.  In  short,  they  were  the  Yankee 
teachers  of  the  times. 

The  peculiar  character  of  Robert  R.  Roberts  had  an  op- 
portunity to  develop  itself  at  Mr.  M'Abee's  school.  Mr. 
M'Abee  had  imported  from  his  native  country  a  usage  cur- 
rent there  from  time  immemorial,  and  which  obtained  the 


CHAP.  I.]  PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  LIFE.       •  31 

authority  of  an  inviolable  constitutional  law.  The  custom 
was  this :  When  a  boy  became  very  refractory,  and  was 
irreclaimable  by  such  corrections  as  the  free  use  of  the  rule 
in  slapping  his  bare  hand  with  might  and  main  ;  or  when  the 
rod  or  cat  with  nine  tails,  in  their  usual  inflictions,  were 
insufficient  to  restore  the  disobedient  to  good  order,  there 
was  another  remedy  remaining,  which  was  the  dernier  re- 
sort. This  was  the  horsing,  and  was  as  follows :  The 
disobedient  boy  was  mounted  on  the  back  of  another,  or  if 
more  than  one  was  guilty,  they  interchanged  the  offices  of 
horse  and  rider.  The  cat  with  nine  tails  was  then  plied 
freely  in  the  open  school.  But  before  this  act  of  extremity 
was  commenced,  a  proclamation  was  made  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  scholars,  that  should  any  boy  of  thorough  good 
character,  and  due  influence,  go  security  for  the  future  good 
behavior  of  the  refractory  one,  he  would  be  pardoned  for 
that  time,  and  his  surety  must  endure  the  flogging  should 
the  culprit  ever  commit  such  an  offense  again.  A  very  bad 
boy  had,  by  his  ill  conduct,  incurred  this  penalty  in  Mr. 
M'Abee's  school.  All  things  were  in  preparation  for  the 
grand  act.  The  whole  school  stood  in  silent  suspense.  The 
righteous  choler  of  the  master  arose  to  the  proper  height. 
The  proclamation  was  made  to  ascertain  if  a  surety  could 
be  had,  should  the  boy  promise  reformation.  The  promise 
he  made  in  penitence ;  but  none  seemed  to  come  to  his 
assistance.  When  execution  was  about  to  take  place,  and 
the  sharp  scourge  was  to  be  tested,  Robert  R.  Roberts  step- 
ped forward,  offering  his  mediation  in  behalf  of  his  disobe- 
dient school-fellow.  The  proffer  was  accepted,  the  boy 
was  thoroughly  reclaimed  for  the  future,  and  his  friend, 
Roberts,  received  the  homage  of  all.  His  dignified  and 
condescending  appearance  even  then  commanded  the  respect 
of  all  his  fellow  youth.  This  act  seemed  to  be  the  omen 
and  first  exercise  of  that  mild  and  influential  deportment 
which  secured  so  much  respect  on  all  occasions  from  every 


32  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [cHAP.  II. 

class  of  men  in  after  life.  This  deportment  was  manifest 
when  he  presided  in  conference,  when  he  preached  in  the 
pulpit,  when  he  traveled  in  the  public  conveyances,  and  in 
all  the  relations  of  his  social  intercourse. 

For  his  old  teacher  he  retained  the  most  respectful  regard. 
Of  this  we  had  a  vivia  example  in  the  summer  of  1835.  At 
that  time  our  residence  was  in  Pittsbui'g.  He  purposed  to 
visit  Ligonier  in  order  to  see  his  old  friends.  We  also  de- 
sired to  spend  a  couple  of  weeks  in  the  mountains,  as  a 
relief  from  the  editor's  office.  We  went  in  company,  up 
the  Pennsylvania  canal,  to  the  lower  end  of  the  Valley.  At 
a  village  on  the  canal,  the  Bishop  met  his  former  teacher, 
M'Abee.  It  was  then  thirty-five  years  from  the  time  that 
he  had  been  his  pupil.  At  first,  they  scarcely  knew  each 
other ;  but  presently  the  teacher  and  pupil  were  recognized 
with  the  most  earnest  greetings.  A  long  conversation  en- 
sued, calling  up  the  incidents  of  the  winter  school ;  and  the 
case  of  the  refractory  boy  was  introduced  with  all  its  de- 
tails. The  horses  on  which  we  were  to  ride  waited  fully 
two  hours,  saddled  and  hitched  at  the  door,  before  the  inter- 
view was  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  H. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO. 

In  the  spring  of  1796,  Robert  R.  Roberts,  being  then 
nearly  eighteen  years  of  age,  set  out  for  Shenango,  now 
Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  company  with  four  others : 
his  brother,  Thomas  Roberts,  John  Caughey,  James  Hu- 
banks,  and  Wm.  M'Lean.  The  section  of  country,  em- 
bracing northwestern  Pennsylvania,  bounded  by  Lake  Erie, 
the  state  of  Ohio,  the  Oliio  and  Alleghany  Rivers,  French 
Creek  and  Conewango  Creek,  was  then  an  almost  uninhab- 


CHAP.  II.]  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  33 

ited  region.  This  was  particularly  true  in  regard  to  Mer- 
cer county.  In  order  to  encourage  the  settlement  of  it,  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  had  passed  an  act  granting  four 
hundred  acres,  and  allowance,  to  any  who  would  make 
actual  settlement  for  five  years,  clear  and  fit  for  cultivation 
twenty -five  acres,  and  build  a  house  or  cabin ;  and  pay,  at  a 
certain  time,  twenty  dollars  for  each  hundred  acres  to  the 
state.  Their  first  object  was  to  explore  the  country,  and 
then,  if  they  liked  it,  to  become  actual  setders,  in  order  to 
secure  to  themselves  a  home  and  independence. 

They  traveled  on  foot,  and  carried  their  provisions  on 
their  backs  in  knapsacks.  They  crossed  the  Alleghany 
River  at  a  place  near  where  Freeport  now  stands,  and  this 
brought  them  within  the  bounds  of  the  territory  embracing 
the  state  grants.  They  went  up  the  waters  of  Buffalo 
Creek,  and  spent  a  week  in  examining  the  lands  within 
eight  or  ten  miles  of  the  Alleghany  River.  The  country 
thus  far  possessed  no  qualities  which  attracted  their  atten- 
tion so  as  to  induce  them  to  make  locations. 

During  their  stay  there,  which  was  in  March,  a  light 
snow  fell,  which  suggested  to  them  the  idea  of  hunting. 
They  all  had  gims  except  Robert  R.  Roberts,  and  they  all 
went  to  hunt  except  him.  Being  the  youngest,  as  well  as 
having  no  gun,  it  was  thought  best  to  leave  him  to  take  cara 
of  the  camp.  Even  among  hunters,  poverty  has  its  disad- 
vantages and  its  privations.  In  the  camp  he  could  hear  the 
report  of  the  guns  in  different  directions.  About  noon  the 
snow  disappeared,  and  all  shordy  returned  without  secur- 
ing any  game,  not  even  a  squirrel  or  a  turkey,  much  less  a 
deer  or  bear.  They  were  all  unpractioed  hunters.  Most 
of  them,  probably,  were  sufficiently  good  marksmen;  but 
this  is  not  one  half  of  the  hunter's  art.  To  hit  fairly  the 
object  aimed  at  is  indispensable  to  a  good  hunter.  In  ad- 
dition, he  must  possess  all  those  stealthy,  watchful  and 
most  deliberate  qualities  which  will  enable  him  to  approach 


34  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [cHAP.  II. 

the  prey  unobserved,  and  to  proceed  with  the  coolest  de- 
liberation, so  as  to  be  uninfluenced  by  the  "deer  fever," 
which  throws  such  a  tremor  into  the  hands  and  eye  of  a 
hunter,  as  to  disqualify  him  for  his  profession.  There  are 
many  nameless  and  unnamable  items  which  go  to  make  up 
the  true  hunter,  that  our  unskillful  pen  cannot  describe. 
We  therefore  stop  with  these  few  meagre  remarks,  as  de- 
scriptive of  the  true  hunter,  for  it  certainly  would  provoke 
the  wrath  of  a  genuine  son  of  the  woods,  were  he  given 
to  understand  that  a  mere  agriculturist,  or  a  book  maker,  or 
an  editor,  or  a  literary  man,  would  presume  to  say  exactly 
what  are  the  qualities  requisite  for  a  finished  education  in 
the  art.  Let  such  as  want  information  on  this  point,  con- 
verse a  whole  week  with  one  of  them  on  topics  of  the  chase 
alone,  and  he  will  then  begin  to  ascertain  what  constitutes 
the  true  hunter. 

Young  Robert  disliked  staying  in  camp,  though  he  knew 
at  that  time,  but  little  about  handling  a  gun  with  suitable 
skill ;  and  less  yet  about  the  mysteries  of  hunting.  In  the 
afternoon,  however,  he  proposed  to  go  on  a  hunting  excur- 
sion by  himself.  His  brother  was  opposed  to  this,  as  he 
was  aware  that  he  knew  but  little  about  the  woods.  But  as 
Mr.  Hubanks,  his  class-mate,  who  was  a  little  older  than 
he,  proposed  to  go  with  him,  it  was  agreed  by  his  brother 
that  he  might  try  what  he  could  do  at  hunting.  Accord- 
ingly they  proceeded  to  the  chase.  Robert  R.  furnished 
himself  with  his  brother's  gim.  They  took  a  northerly 
direction,  and  went  on  conversing  for  a  while.  They  then 
parted,  but  agreed  to  keep  as  near  together  as  circumstances 
would  allow.  After  parting,  and  traveling  a  few  hundred 
yards,  they  lost  sight  of  each  other.  Robert  R.  thought  he 
could  find  his  own  way,  and  did  not  trouble  himself  about 
his  companion,  believing  that  he  could  do  the  same. 
Traveling  on  the  dividing  ridge  between  two  small  water- 
courses, he  saw  at  some  distance  two  deer,  and  raised  his 


CHAP.  11.]  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  35 

gun  to  fire.  But  just  as  he  raised  it,  his  eyes  watered,  and 
his  hand  trembled.  He  then  went  to  a  sapling  to  take  rest, 
and,  while  preparing,  the  deer  disappeared.  He  proceeded 
on,  still  pursuing  the  same  direction.  Looking  down  a 
little  hollow,  he  saw  three  bears,  an  old  one  and  two 
young  ones.  He  sat  down  by  a  white-oak  tree  and  pre- 
pared to  shoot.  They  came  up  slowly  to  within  about 
four  rods  of  him,  where  a  spring  issued  from  the  hollow 
place.  The  old  one  raised  herself  up,  and  began  to  snuff 
as  if  she  scented  him.  He  immediately  fired  at  her  breast. 
She  fell,  rolled  on  the  ground,  gnashed  her  teeth,  and  got 
up  and  fell  again  several  times.  One  of  the  cubs  ran 
away:  the  other  squatted  down.  Robert  R.  sat  down 
alarmed, Vith  his  gun  unloaded,  not  knowing  what  to  do; 
as  he  had  never  before  been  in  such  close  quarters  with 
wild  beasts,  nor  even  engaged  in  hunting.  Before  he  got 
loaded  again,  after  the  delay  occasioned  by  his  surprise,  the 
old  bear  recovered :  she  then  began  to  walk  slowly,  and 
afterward  to  run;  at  length  she  got  clearly  away,  the 
cubs  following  her.  At  this,  he  proceeded  to  the  camp, 
and  informed  his  companions  what  he  had  done.  They  all 
set  out  in  quest  of  the  bears,  but  were  unable  to  catch  them. 
This  was  his  first  introduction  to  hunting. 

The  pursuits  of  the  chase  and  the  prospects  of  the  new 
country,  were  not  very  agreeable  to  all  the  young  men,  and 
some  of  them  concluded  to  proceed  no  further.  Thomas 
Roberts  and  Wm.  M'Lean  returned  ;  but  Robert  R.  Roberts, 
John  Caughey  and  James  Hubanks,  proposed  determin- 
ately  to  see  the  new  country,  and  explore  it  fully.  Robert 
R.  seemed  to  have  been  particularly  fixed  in  his  design  of 
completing  his  excursion ;  for  though  his  elder  brother 
Thomas  did  his  utmost  to  persuade  him  to  return,  it  was 
all  in  vain.  He  even  left  him  no  more  money  than  barely 
enough  to  pay  his  expenses  home,  thinking  by  this  means 
to  compel  him  to  return.    Robert  R.  had  no  redress,  as 


36  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [CHAP.  II. 

Thomas  was  much  older,  and  Robert  had  never  possessed 
much  money,  though  he  had  been  the  principal  support  of 
his  father's  family  for  several  years  previously.  Having 
now  set  out  to  secure  independence  for  himself  during  life, 
he  could  not  be  persuaded  to  abandon  his  purpose. 

On  the  morning  after  the  return  of  Thomas  Roberts  and 
Wm.  M'Lean,  the  other  three  pursued  their  journey,  having 
young  Robert  R.  as  their  master  spirit,  though  he  was 
almost  without  money,  and  without  even  a  gim — a  requisite 
in  a  new  country  that  cannot  well  be  dispensed  with. 
They  traveled  two  days  in  a  northeasterly  direction  without 
seeing  any  person.  They  had  flour  in  their  knapsacks. 
Their  bread  and  ready  provisions  were  exhausted :  they 
were  therefore  compelled  to  commence  the  work  of  cooking. 
For  the  first  time,  they  stopped  to  make  up  bread;  for 
though  Robert  R.,  while  engaged  in  sugar  making,  and  in 
the  manufacture  of  tar,  had  lived  in  camp  and  kept  bache- 
lor's hall,  he  never  before  had  been  compelled  to  make 
bread,  as  the  supplies  of  this  article  in  such  circumstances 
were  always  received  from  home,  or  procured  from  neigh- 
bors. But  now  he  must  become  baker,  both  for  himself 
and  his  associates.  In  looking  around  for  the  requisite 
apparatus,  he  selected  the  liollow  part  of  a  fallen  tree  for 
his  kneading  trough,  and  scooped  it  out  with  his  tomahawk. 
Wlien  the  dough  was  made,  it  was  flattened  in  thin  slices, 
and  rolled  around  sticks,  so  that  the  heat  could  penetrate  the 
slices  thoroughly.  One  end  of  the  stick,  and  that  end 
sharpened,  was  without  any  dough.  The  sharpened  end 
was  then  thrust  perpendicularly  into  the  ground  before  the 
fire,  and  gradually  turned  round  in  its  place,  until  the  bread 
was  thoroughly  done.  In  this  way  they  prepared  their 
bread,  which  was  palatable  to  them,  and  would  be  to  any 
in  their  circumstances. 

On  tlie  third  day  they  struck  the  old  Venango  Path, 
which  led  from  Pittsburg  to  a  ooint  at  the  mouth  of  French 


CHAP.  11.3  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENj-..-^.  37 

Creek.  They  proceeded  on  till  they  came  to  the  garrison 
at  French  Creek,  the  location  of  what  is  now  Franklin. 
There  Robert  R.  saw  Indians  for  the  first  time.  They 
were  trading  furs  and  other  articles,  and  were  drinking. 

Here  Robert  R.  and  his  companions  spent  the  Sabbath, 
thougli  there  was  not  much  sign  of  the  Sabbath.  An 
incident  occurred  at  this  place  which  shows  the  inconsis- 
tency of  professors  of  religion.  An  Indian  shot  a  large 
turkey,  and  took  it  to  the  landlady  to  sell.  She  bought  it, 
and  after  paying  for  it,  reproved  the  Indian  for  killing  it  on 
the  Sabbath  day.  He  asked,  "If  no  luck  to  shoot  on 
Sunday? "  She  remarked  that  she  did  not  know  as  to  luck, 
but  it  was  a  sin  to  break  the  Sabbath  by  shooting.  The 
Indian  retorted,  "  Ah  !  if  luck,  Indian  no  care  for  sin." 

Wayne  had  treated  at  Greenville  with  the  Indians,  in 
1795,  and  of  course  there  was  peace.  The  filthy  habits 
and  forbidding  appearance,  however,  of  the  Indians,  made 
no  very  favorable  impression  at  that  time  on  our  young 
adventurers. 

As  they  were  in  search  of  land,  they  made  but  little  stay 
at  the  garrison.  The  land  through  which  they  had  passed 
was  rough  and  stony,  and  did  not  promise  much  to  the 
cultivator:  they  therefore  purposed  exploring  more  of  the 
new  country,  in  order  to  find  better  locations  than  any  they 
had  yet  seen.  They  went  up  French  Creek  to  what  was 
then  called  Cassewago,  where  Meadville  now  stands,  and 
where  there  were  then  a  few  buildings.  The  flats  of 
French  Creek,  which  were  natural  meadows,  were  beauti- 
ful, and  pleased  them  greatly ;  but  they  had  been  generally 
taken  up  by  previous  settlers.  After  spending  a  few  days 
at  Cassewago,  they  went  down  French  Creek  again  as 
far  as  the  mouth  of  Coneaut  Creek,  which  emptied  itself 
into  French  Creek,  about  eight  miles  below  Meadville,  on 
the  west  side.  From  the  mouth  of  Coneaut,  they  pro- 
ceeded westwardly  to  the  heads  of  Sandy  Creek,  following 


38  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [CHAP.  II, 

an  o]d  Indian  path,  called  the  Kuskuskia  Path,  and  leading 
from  Cassewago  to  Kuskuskia,  a  place  on  the  Beaver  River. 
When  they  had  passed  over  Sandy  Creek,  they  stopped  for 
the  night.  They  peeled  some  bark  from  chesnut  trees,  and 
made  a  camp.  The  location  of  this  camp  was  about  four 
miles  northwest  of  Georgetown,  and  about  two  miles  and  a 
half  from  where  Robert  R.  a  short  time  after  made  his 
location. 

Next  morning  they  had  an  early  breakfast,  and  concealed 
their  knapsacks  in  different  directions  from  the  camp,  in 
order  to  secure  them  from  the  depredations  of  straggling 
Indians  that  were  still  lingering  around,  or  from  lawless 
white  persons  who  might  perchance  be  passing  by.  They 
then  proceeded  to  explore  the  country  around,  intending  to 
return  to  the  camp  that  night.  They  traveled  on  till  they 
struck  some  of  the  head  waters  of  the  Little  Shenango. 
There  they  saw  bodies  of  land  that  pleased  them  much. 
Still  they  pursued  their  course,  desiring  to  see  more  of  the 
country,  till  it  was  too  late  to  return  to  their  camp  on  Sandy 
Creek.  They  therefore  encamped  near  the  Little  Shenango, 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  the  present  residence 
of  John  licech,  sen.  It  is  now  a  beautiful  sugar  grove, 
with  luxuriant  meadow  among  the  sparse  trees,  and  is 
watered  with  a  limpid  brook,  and  an  excellent  never  failing 
spring. 

They  had  left  all  their  provisions  behind  them  at  the 
other  camp,  and  were  without  any  thing  to  eat,  except  a 
squirrel  that  one  of  the  company  had  shot.  As  Mr.  Roberts 
was  the  youngest,  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  cook  it.  He  sus- 
pended it  before  the  fire,  by  a  string  fastened  to  a  stake,  so 
adjusted  that  the  squirrel  turned  round  before  the  fire.  His 
associates  laid  themselves  down,  and  were  quickly  asleep. 
He  thought  that  he  too  needed  sleep,  and  lay  down  to  rest, 
still  intending  however  to  watch  the  squirrel.  In  a  short 
time  he  was  soundly  asleep,  as  well  as  the  others,  and 


CHAP.  II.]  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  39 

when  he  awoke,  it  was  all  burned  to  a  cinder.  So  they 
were  all  obliged  to  pass  the  night  supperless. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  a  camp  meeting  was  held  within 
a  few  rods  of  the  spring  and  grove  where  the  encampment 
just  spoken  of  was  located,  ^t  which  Bishop  Roberts 
attended.  It  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer  also  to  be 
present.  In  delivering  an  exhortation  after  one  of  the 
brethren  had  preached,  the  Bishop  took  occasion  to  refer  to 
their  first  encampment  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  After  an 
appropriate  introduction,  he  turned  half  round  on  the  stand, 
pointed  to  the  spot,  just  down  there  at  the  run  beside 
Cornelius  Siley^s,  mentioned  by  name  his  associates,  and 
improved  the  occasion  in  a  manner  that  was  truly  thrilling; 
especially  as  there  were  then  in  the  congregation  many  of 
the  first  settlers,  John  Caughey  amongst  the  rest,  sitting  in 
tlie  altar  immediately  before  the  Bishop.  We  need  not  say 
that  Mr.  Caughey  enjoyed  the  narrative  in  which  he  neces- 
sarily had  borne  so  conspicuous  a  part ;  and  that  all  present 
were  greatly  instructed  with  the  sublime  moral  lessons 
which  the  good  Bishop  taught  them. 

The  morning  after  the  supperless  night,  our  young  adven- 
turers concluded  to  go  down  the  Little  Shenango  a  short 
distance,  and  then  steer  their  course  for  the  camp.  John 
Caughey,  a  newly  emigrated  Irishman,  afterward  the 
Bishop's  brother-in-law,  being  the  oldest,  was  selected  as 
the  guide.  But  although  he  was  a  very  good  scholar  among 
persons  of  common  attainments,  he  was  a  very  unskillful 
guide  in  ti-aveling  througli  the  pathless  woods.  Conse- 
quently all  very  soon  got  lost,  as  the  day  was  cloudy. 
After  wandering  through  the  woods  for  sometime,  as  Mr. 
Roberts  thought,  in  diflerent  directions,  they  stopped  and 
held  a  council  as  to  the  course  that  would  lead  them  to  their 
camp  on  Sandy  Creek.  They  all  differed  in  opinion 
respecting  the  direction  in  which  the  camp  lay.  Yet  as 
they  had  chosen  Mr.  Caughey  for  their  leader  they  yielded 


40  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANOO.  [cHAP.  11. 

to  his  opinion  and  followed  his  orders.  But  every  step 
they  took,  R.  E.  Roberts  thought  was  in  the  wrong  direc- 
tion, and  the  feelings  produced  were  very  unpleasant,  as  he 
knew  that  in  some  directions  there  were  no  inhabitants,  and 
of  course  starvation  would  be  the  consequence,  were  they 
to  go  in  those  directions.  The  result  proved  that  Mr. 
Roberts  was  correct  in  his  opinion,  that  they  were  actually 
going  in  a  wrong  direction.  Accordingly,  he  told  Mr. 
Caughey  that  he  could  follow  him  no  longer.  As  Mr. 
Caughey  was  of  a  very  mild  disposition,  he  yielded  ;  and  in 
the  best  good  temper  observed,  "  It  is  of  no  use  to  separate  ; 
if  you  will  not  follow  me,  I  will  follow  you."  The  other 
also  yielded;  so  both  Hubanks  and  Caughey  followed 
Roberts.  Providentially  he  was  in  the  right  course,  and  in 
a  few  hours  tliey  reached  the  old  trail  they  had  left  the  day 
before,  and  by  sun-down  arrived  at  their  camp  on  Sandy 
Creek,  and  found  their  provisions  undisturbed.  Their 
supper  came  in  good  place,  as  they  had  eaten  nothing  since 
the  previous  morning,  except  a  few  mountain  tea-berries. 
This  circumstance  gave  Mr.  Roberts  such  an  ascendancy 
over  them  as  a  woodsman,  that  ever  after  they  followed  his 
opinion  in  all  such  matters.  Indeed  his  peculiar  genius  of 
mild,  yet  correct  and  firm  government,  which  showed  itself 
so  conspicuously  in  after  life,  seemed  to  discover  itself  even 
at  this  early  period.  For  he  that  is  well  qualified  by  na- 
ture to  lead  in  one  important  matter,  will  be  the  best  quali- 
fied to  govern  in  all ;  other  things  being  equal.  And  this 
is  according  to  what  the  apostle  says  in  giving  instructions 
concerning  the  qualifications  of  ministers:  "For  if  a  man 
know  not  how  to  rule  his  own  house,  how  shall  he  take 
care  of  the  Church  of  God?"  1  Tim.  iii,  5. 

After  supper  they  rested  for  the  night,  and  next  morning 
set  out  for  the  country  they  had  explored  the  day  before, 
taking  along  with  them  their  provisions.  They  proceeded 
to  the  Little  Shenango,  and  found  several  camps  which 


CHAP.  II.]  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  41 

some  Indians  had  just  deserted,  they  having  gone  down 
the  Big  Shenango  in  canoes.  After  exploring  the  country 
a  few  days,  they  concluded  to  make  improvements  in  order 
to  hold  possession,  and  accordingly  commenced  to  build  log 
cabins,  girdling  a  few  trees  around  them. 

They  fell  in  company  with  two  other  young  men  who 
were  also  looking  for  land,  and  they  all,  now  five  in  num- 
ber, concluded  to  keep  together,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
the  more  able  to  build.  The  timber  was  good,  the  water 
excellent,  and  the  soil  appeared  to  be  rich,  so  that  they 
were  much  pleased ;  though  afterward  it  did  not  fully  an- 
swer their  expectations.  Each  of  the  five  now  selected 
two  tracts  of  land  for  himself,  on  which  he  intended  to 
make  improvements ;  and  they  were  guided  in  their  divi- 
sion lines  by  some  that  had  been  run  by  a  company  a 
year  or  two  before.  They  generally  slept  in  their  camp, 
and  regularly  went  out  in  the  morning  to  their  day's  work. 
They  cut  logs,  built  a  cabin,  covering  it  with  chesnut  bark, 
and  deadened  a  few  trees ;  and  this  constituted  their  chief 
employment. 

Their  provisions  very  soon  ran  out;  and  Mr.  Roberts 
had  no  money  to  buy  more,  as  he  had  spent  the  small  sum 
which  his  brother  Thomas  gave  him  on  their  parting.  In 
this  situation,  he  knew  not  what  to  do.  He  had  no  money 
to  carry  him  home,  or  to  induce  him  to  stay,  and  he  could 
get  no  employ  to  enable  him  to  earn  any.  At  this  critical 
juncture,  Mr.  Caughey  kindly  came  to  his  assistance.  As 
he  had  money,  he  offered  to  lend  some  to  his  destitute  as- 
sociate until  he  could  find  a  way  to  repay  him.  So  they 
agreed  to  continue  their  improvements.  They  proceeded 
to  Cassewago,  and  got  a  supply  of  provisions,  which  they 
carried  on  their  backs  upward,  as  the  path  then  was,  of 
twenty  miles.  The  price  too  was  high,  as  they  had  to  be 
brought  from  Pittsburg  up  the  Alleghany  to  the  mouth  of 
French  Creek,  and  then  up  this  creek  to  Meadville. 
4*- 


42  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [cHAP.  XI. 

Amongst  the  whole  five,  there  was  but  one  coffee-pof, 
two  other  pots,  and  two  tin  kettles.  Each,  however,  had  a 
tin  cup,  a  spoon  and  a  butcher  knife,  a  tomahawk  and  an 
axe.  Sometimes  they  used  chocolate,  which  they  boiled  in 
a  tin  ketrie,  thickening  it  with  flour  instead  of  milk. 

On  their  return  from  Cassewago,  they  finished  their  cab- 
ins, and  determined  to  separate  from  the  two  young  men 
with  whom  they  had  recently  associated  in  mutually  aiding 
each  other  in  the  erection  of  cabins.  The  reason  of  the 
separation  was,  that  on  acquaintance  with  them  they  were 
found  to  be  persons  of  such  morals  as  rendered  them  both 
unpleasant  and  unprofitable  companions,  from  whose  soci- 
ety they  could  receive  no  benefit,  and  from  whom  they 
might  receive  much  harm. 

Accordingly,  Mr.  Roberts,  John  Caughey,  and  James 
Hubanks,  his  class-mate,  lived  together,  and  commenced 
clearing  in  difl^erent  places  some  land,  in  order  to  plant  corn 
and  potatoes.  They  cleared  a  few  acres,  and  brouglit  their 
potatoes  and  corn  on  their  backs  from  Cassewago,  a  dis- 
tance, as  already  stated,  of  upward  of  twenty  miles.  They 
paid  at  the  rale  of  three  dollars  per  bushel  for  the  potatoes. 
These  were  the  first  potatoes  ever  planted  in  the  country. 
The  corn  was  two  dollars  a  bushel,  or  nearly  so ;  as  corn- 
meal  brought  that  price  at  Cassewago.  They  also  planted 
cucumbers.  In  thus  erecting  their  cabins,  clearing  land, 
and  carrying  provisions  on  their  backs  so  great  a  distance, 
it  will  readily  be  seen  their  labors  and  hardships  were 
neither  few  nor  small. 

The  game  was  plentiful ;  but  as  they  were  then  unskill- 
ful hunters,  they  killed  none  for  sometime.  Nevertlieless 
the  necessities  of  their  condition  urged  them  to  make  vigor- 
ous endeavors  to  learn  tlio  art  so  important  to  them.  One 
morning  about  day-light,  while  in  bed,  they  heard  the  notes 
of  an  old  turkey  not  far  distant.  Mr.  Roberts  told  Mr.  Hu- 
banks, if  he  would  let  him  have  his  gun  he  would  try  to  kill 


CHAP.  11.]  SETTtEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  43 

it.  Hubanks  unhesitatingly  agreed  to  the  proposal.  He 
then  took  the  gun,  and  set  out  in  quest  of  the  turkey.  When 
near  the  place,  it  flew  down  from  the  tree  on  which  it 
was  roosting,  and  on  seeing  him  it,  with  several  others,  ran 
away  at  full  speed.  Following  the  course  they  took,  he 
started  two  deer  which  ran  in  the  same  direction.  In  a 
short  time,  he  saw  one  of  the  turkeys  coming  back,  run- 
ning toward  him.  It  came  within  forty  or  fifty  yards,  and 
then  stopped  behind  a  log,  its  head  only  being  visible. 
When  about  to  shoot  at  the  turkey,  he  observed  the  deer 
also  returning,  but  they  stopped  not  quite  so  near  as  the 
turkey.  He  shot  at  one  of  them,  and  it  fell.  He  ran  up 
to  it,  and  seized  it  by  the  leg,  lest  it  might  get  away.  Just 
at  that  moment  he  heard  a  voice  inquire,  "  Have  you  hit 
it?"  At  this  he  was  surprised,  thinking  he  might  be  among 
Indians;  but  looking  about  him,  he  saw  Caughey,  who  had 
gone  around  in  another  direction,  and  fortunately  scared 
the  game  back  again.  They  now  had  plenty  of  fresh  meat 
for  a  season;  and  Hubanks,  dressing  the  skin,  made  it  into 
moccasons,  which,  being  a  cover  to  their  feet,  was  no  unwel- 
come aid  to  the  young  adventurers.  In  brief,  they  con- 
sidered, as  well  they  might,  the  supply  altogether  provi- 
dential. 

Their  crop  turned  out  to  be  a  very  poor  one.  The  new 
country  swarmed  with  ground  squirrels,  which  devoured 
the  greater  part  of  the  corn  before,  or  just  after  it  germin- 
ated. The  potatoe  crop,  however,  did  well,  and  was  their 
principal  resource. 

As  they  were  in  the  spirit  of  exploring  the  country,  they 
made  occasional  sallies  around  in  order  to  see  as  much  of  it 
as  they  could.  In  their  travels  to  and  from  Cassewago, 
they  heard  that  there  was  a  small  lake  at  the  head  of  Con- 
eaut  Creek,  and  were  desirous  to  see  it.  Accordingly  they 
started  one  day,  and  traveled  in  a  northern  direction  until 
they  got  into  the  swam.p  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  and  of 


44  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [cHAP.  II. 

course  were  obliged  to  return  without  accomplishiug  the 
object  of  their  journey. 

During  that  spring  and  summer,  his  mind  was  often 
pained,  sometimes  even  settling  down  in  depression.  He 
often  sat  down  upon  the  logs  and  wept,  and  found  no  relief 
but  in  prayer.    The  causes  of  his  depression  were  four. 

1.  He  was  from  home  the  first  time  for  any  space  longer 
than  a  week. 

2.  The  circumstances  of  his  absence  from  home  were 
unpleasant.  He  had  declined  returning  with  his  brother, 
which  determination  he  feared  might  be  disapproved  by  his 
father,  for  whom  he  always  had  the  highest  regard. 

3.  He  was  every  day  becoming  more  deeply  involved  in 
debt ;  and  he  never  before  had  owed  any  thing. 

4.  But  the  principal  cause  of  his  distress  was  the  absence 
of  all  religious  meetings.  His  class-mate,  Hubanks,  be- 
came, in  some  measure,  careless,  and  lost  his  relish  for 
religious  conversation;  and  such  was  his  own  backward- 
ness, that  he  had  not  as  yet  learned  any  thing  of  the 
religious  views  of  Caughey :  among  the  three  they  had  but 
one  Bible;  and  the  young  men  with  whom  they  were 
associated  for  a  while,  were  very  irreligious. 

Under  these  circumstances,  though  he  remained  steadfast 
in  his  religious  integrity,  he  was,  nevertheless,  often  de- 
pressed ;  and  many  were  the  evenings  that  he  wept  before 
God  until  he  received  comfort  to  his  heart.  Shortly,  how- 
ever, before  he  left  the  place  to  go  to  Ligonicr,  returning  on 
one  occasion  from  secret  devotions,  he  heard  a  voice,  and 
on  loitering  a  little,  ascertained  that  Caughey  was  at  prayer. 
This  encouraged  him  much,  as  he  had  not  previously 
known  him  to  be  religious.  After  this  circumstance  he 
was  able  to  converse  with  him  about  spiritual  matters 
with  great  satisfaction. 

Sometime  in  June,  as  their  corn  had  been  destroyed,  and 
all  the  improvements  intended  were  accomplished,  Robert 


CHAP.  II. J  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  45 

R.  Roberts  and  James  Hubanks  concluded  to  return  home 
and  assist  in  harvesting.  Mr.  Caughey,  however,  remained. 
Roberts  was  especially  inclined  to  this  course,  as  there  was 
no  way  of  sending  a  letter  to  his  friends,  and  they  did  not 
know  precisely  where  he  was. 

In  their  journey,  they  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  French 
Creek.  When  they  arrived  there,  Mr.  Roberts,  knowing 
that  he  was  in  debt,  and  fearing  to  return  home  in  such  a 
condition,  hired  himself  to  the  captain  of  a  keel-boat  bound 
to  Meadville,  in  order  to  get  money  to  meet  his  obligations. 
Hubanks  hired  himself  to  the  same  employer.  Most  of  the 
hands  were  unacquainted  with  the  business,  and  the  captain 
was  intemperate.  The  new  hands  made  three  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  ascend  the  ripple  near  the  mouth  of  French 
Creek,  but  were  driven  back  by  the  force  of  the  current. 
The  captain,  being  in  liquor,  became  exasperated,  and  said 
he  could  find  two  men  that  would  push  the  boat  up  them- 
selves, and  there  were  now  six  of  them  making  the  efibrt. 
Unwilling  to  take  such  abuse,  Mr.  Roberts,  when  near  the 
shore,  jumped  off  the  boat,  and  told  the  captain  he  might 
find  such  hands  as  soon  as  he  saw  fit :  as  for  him  he  would 
endure  no  such  treatment.  Nearly  all  the  others  did  the 
same  thing,  and  left  the  captain  to  try  the  alternative  of  his 
two  choice  men.  Finding  that  he  was  about  to  lose  his 
hands,  he  changed  his  tone  to  kindness,  and  endeavored  to 
persuade  them  to  remain.  A.t  his  earnest  entreaty,  tliey  all 
returned.  On  making  another  efibrt,  they  got  the  boat  over 
the  ripple,  and  pushed  her  on  to  the  mouth  of  Sugar  Creek. 
By  this  time  the  captain  had  become  so  intoxicated,  that  he 
could  go  no  further.  They,  therefore,  put  ashore  ;  and  as 
he  had  some  land  located  near  the  place,  he  directed  them 
to  girdle  some  trees,  or  do  any  thing  else  tlicy  pleased. 
They  staid  there  during  the  night.  As  the  captain  by 
next  morning  had  become  sober,  they  started  on  their  voy- 
age.   On  the  third  day,  about  noon,  they  reafched  Casse- 


46  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [cHAP.  11. 

wago  or  Meadville,  and  unloaded  the  boat,  the  freight  being 
flour,  bacon,  Avhisky,  <fcc.  As  the  boat  was  to  return 
immediately  to  Pittsburg,  Roberts  and  Hubanks  went  in  her 
to  that  place,  which  was  then  very  small,  and  had  a  poor 
appearance.  The  old  garrison  was  to  be  seen,  and  a  new 
one  had  been  commenced. 

From  Pittsburg  they  traveled  home  on  foot  in  a  day  and 
a  half,  the  distance  being  fifty  miles.  Young  Roberts' 
clothes  had  become  old,  and  owing  to  his  recent  peculiar 
circumstances,  were  not  well  washed.  His  hair  was  long, 
and  he  was  thin  in  appearance,  although  in  good  health. 
When  his  father  and  friends  saw  him,  they  were  greatly 
rejoiced ;  for  they  had  not  heard  a  word  about  him  from 
the  time  his  brother,  Tliomas,  had  returned,  which  must 
have  been  nearly  five  months.  They  feared  he  had  been 
killed  by  the  Indians,  or  devoured  by  wild  beasts.  They 
had  frequendy  reflected  on  his  brother  for  not  using  greater 
exertions  to  induce  him  to  return.  But  their  anxieties  were 
all  relieved  when  they  saw  he  was  safe  and  well.  His 
father  did  not  reflect  much  upon  him,  but  was  unwilling  he 
should  go  back ;  and  as  he  was  a  minor  it  was  his  duty  to 
submit.  Harvest  came  on,  and  this  occupied  him  for  the 
present.  He  spent  the  time  happily  in  the  society  of  his 
friends  and  in  Christian  communion. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  reasons  which  induced  him 
to  make  some  juvenile  attempts  at  preaching,  as  in  the  case 
already  mentioned,  it  was  in  the  fall  of  1796,  that  he 
seriously  felt  impressed  to  preach  the  Gospel.  But  he 
could  not  bring  his  mind  to  make  a  public  eflbrt,  as  he  had 
high  views  of  the  ministerial  character,  and  thought  his  own 
inability  so  great  that  he  never  could  succeed.  He  prayed, 
however,  in  public  whenever  called  upon,  but  here  the 
exercise  of  his  talents  stopped. 

His  mind  frequenfly  dwelt  upon  the  scenes  of  the  pre- 
ceding spring  and  summer,  and  thought  the  country  which  he 


CHAP.  II.J  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  47 

had  left  preferable  to  that  in  which  he  lived,  and  he  had 
a  desire  to  return. 

In  the  spring  of  1797,  the  father  of  Bishop  Roberts  con- 
sented that  he  should  again  go  to  Shenango  in  company 
with  his  elder  brother,  Thomas.  They  started,  his  younger 
brother,  Lewis,  also  going  with  them.  Robert  R.  likewise 
took  along  with  him  Stephen  Riley,  purposing  to  settle  him 
on  one  of  the  tracts  he  had  selected.  Other  persons  of 
enterprise  went  also,  in  order  to  select  and  improve  land  for 
themselves.  The  whole  company  consisted  of  nine  per- 
sons, namely  :  Robert  R.  Roberts,  Thomas  Roberts,  Lewis 
Roberts,  Stephen  Riley  and  Wm.  Lindsay,  from  Ligonier ; 
James  Stevenson,  sen.,  James  Stevenson,  jr..  Rev.  Jacob 
Gurwell  and  John  Caughey,  from  Loyalhanna.  Each  had 
a  horse  laden  with  provisions  and  some  cooking  utensils, 
together  with  such  bed  clothing  as  enabled  them  to  encamp 
in  the  woods  without  suffering  much.  Each  also  traveled 
on  foot,  leading  or  driving  his  horse,  and  carrying  his  axe 
and  knapsack  of  provisions  beside.  By  this  time,  a  path 
had  been  made  through  the  region  where  Butler  and  Mercer 
now  stand,  which  was  far  preferable  to  the  circuitous  route 
through  Venango  and  Cassewago.  Very  little  of  this 
country,  however,  was  then  settled,  except  toward  Pittsburg, 
so  as  to  furnish  houses  to  lodge  in  at  night.  Even  the  best 
course  for  a  path  had  not  yet  been  selected,  nor  the  most 
suitable  crossing-places  of  the  streams :  neither  had  any  of 
the  streams  bridges  across  them  at  that  time,  and  when  they 
could  not  be  forded,  they  had  to  be  crossed  by  swimming. 
After  the  Alleghany  River,  Breakneck,  Big  Kinniconees, 
Muddy  Creek,  Slippery  Rock,  AVolf  Creek,  Neshanick 
and  Litde  Shenango,  had  all  to  be  crossed,  some  by  swim- 
ming, and  others  by  deep  fording.  Little  Shenango,  about 
two  miles  south  of  where  Georgetown  now  stands,  was 
crossed  by  the  aid  of  trees  that  were  felled  on  each  side, 
over  which  the  packs  were  carried,  while  the  horses  had 


48  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO,  [cHAP.  II. 

to  swim.  During  much  of  the  journey,  they  encamped  in 
the  woods  at  night. 

Thomas  Roberts  was  well  pleased  with  the  country,  and 
selected  a  tract  of  land  on  which  to  make  improvement. 
He  and  Lewis  then  returned  with  their  horses,  leaving 
Stephen  Riley  and  Robert  R.  Roberts  to  open  some  land 
and  put  in  a  crop.  They  left  the  provisions  they  had 
brought,  and  promised  to  return  at  a  certain  time,  bringmg 
with  them  a  fresh  supply.  Mr.  Gurwell  and  Mr.  Stevens, 
sen.,  also  returned  with  them.  On  starting  Thomas 
Roberts  left  with  his  brother  four  dollars  in  money  for 
necessary  expenses. 

About  the  last  of  March,  1797,  Robert  R.  Roberts, 
Stephen  Riley  and  Wm.  Lindsay  started  on  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, to  an  Indian  camp  on  Sandy  Creek,  to  buy  sugar, 
carrying  their  guns  with  them.  They  set  out  on  Sunday 
in  order  that  they  might  have  the  company  of  one  of  the 
Indians  who  was  on  a  visit  to  their  camp,  as  they  feared 
they  could  not  find  the  way  themselves.  They  carried 
their  guns,  as  this  was  the  custom  with  all  in  the  new 
country  wherever  they  went,  both  to  protect  themselves 
and  to  preserve  their  guns  from  being  stolen.  They  pui- 
chased  four  dollars'  worth  of  sugar,  the  entire  sum  that 
Thomas  Roberts  had  left.  They  fired  at  a  flock  of  deer 
on  their  way  to  the  camp,  but  without  success.  On  their 
return  in  the  afternoon,  it  rained  hard,  and  they  got  lost  in 
a  pine  swamp.  They  wandered  round  and  round,  but 
with  all  their  endeavors  could  not  get  out  of  it.  They 
kindled  a  fire,  but  in  consequence  of  the  wetness  of  the 
fuel,  it  did  not  burn  well.  Shortly  after  dark,  they  heard 
the  scream  of  a  panther  within  a  very  short  distance  of  the 
spot  where  they  were.  They  occasionally  fired  their  guns, 
and  encouraged  their  dog  to  pursue  it,  but  to  little  purpose, 
the  dog  well  knowing  the  panther's  character.  In  this  way 
they  spent  the  whole  night,  keeping  constant  watch,  being 


CHAP.  11.3  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  49 

at  the  same  time  wet,  weary,  hungry  and  cold.  In  conse- 
quence of  their  dread  of  the  panther,  and  the  care  of 
watching,  the  sugar  was  exposed  to  the  rain,  and  by  morn- 
ing was  all  melted,  and  consequently  lost.  Robert  R. 
Roberts  thought  that  this  was  a  judgment  on  them  for 
breaking  the  Sabbath,  by  traveling,  purchasing  sugar,  and 
shooting.  He  never  carried  his  gun  on  this  holy  day 
afterward. 

On  this  transaction  we  have  a  good  moral  lesson.  Their 
reason  for  Sabbath  breaking  was  insufficient.  The  sugar 
was  not  necessary ;  and  if  it  had  been,  they  could  have 
found  the  way  readily  on  a  week-day. 

The  sin  was  aggravated.  They  sinned  m  company,  and 
in  association  with  uninstructed  heathens.  They  traveled, 
fired  their  guns,  and  trafficked  on  the  day  required  to  be 
observed  as  a  "  day  of  rest." 

Their  present  correction  was  of  a  most  marked  character. 
They  lost  their  way,  had  their  sugar  wasted,  and  suffisred 
from  cold,  hunger,  rain,  and  want  of  sleep.  They  lost  as 
much  of  week-day  time  as  would  have  been  sufficient  to 
accomplish  their  object  without  violating  the  Sabbath. 

Substantially  the  same  results  attend  all  Sabbath  breaking. 
It  is  done  without  just  reason  or  strict  necessity;  it  is  an 
aggravated  and  foolish  sin ;  it  is  unprofitable.  And  such  is 
Sabbath  breaking  ordinarily,  whether  in  carrying  Sabbath 
mails,  in  taking  Sabbath  journeys,  or  in  doing  any  kind 
of  unnecessary  Sabbath  work. 

After  Robert  R.  Roberts  and  Stephen  Riley  had  com- 
menced making  improvements,  they  worked  hard.  They 
cleared  a  field  for  corn.  But  not  being  very  economical  in 
the  use  of  their  provisions,  and  Thomas  Roberts  not  coming 
for  sometime  after  the  expected  period,  the  provisions  ran 
out,  and  they  were  reduced  to  great  exti-emity.  They  were 
both  fond  of  the  gun,  and  each  had  an  excellent  rifle. 
Game  too  was  plentiful,  but  they  could  kill  none,  as  they 
5 


50 


SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [CHAV.  II. 


were  not  good  hunters.  Mr.  Eiley  staid  with  Robert  R 
Roberts  a  short  time  after  the  expected  return  of  Thomas, 
and  then  left  him,  and  hired  with  another  man.  Robert  R. 
was  not  wiUing  to  do  that ;  and  as  he  could  kill  nothing  but 
squirrels,  he  lived  about  three  weeks  on  squirrels  and  salt, 
without  partaking  of  any  thing  else.  He  of  course  became 
poor  and  emaciated  by  this  way  of  living ;  and  so  thoroughly 
tired  was  he  of  the  kind  of  food  just  mentioned,  that  ever 
after  he  refused  to  eat  squirrels,  except  when  compelled  by 
necessity,  or  induced  to  it  by  courtesy. 

As  he  heard  nothing  from  his  brother,  he  determined  to 
go  to  French  Creek  and  pawn  his  rifle  for  some  provisions. 
With  this  intention,  he  set  out  one  morning,  and  traveled 
four  or  live  miles,  when  he  met  his  brothers,  Thomas  and 
Lewis,  his  father,  and  his  sister,  Elizabeth.  They  had  four 
horses  laden  with  provisions,  and  drove  four  cows.  When 
his  sister  saw  him,  she  sprang  from  her  horse,  burst  into 
tears,  embraced  him  most  aflectionately,  and  was  so  over- 
come that  she  could  not  speak.  Robert  felt,  as  he  afterward 
expressed  himself,  like  .Tacob  when  he  saw  the  wagons 
which  Joseph  had  sent  for  him.  He  returned  with  his 
friends  to  the  cabin  and  unloaded  the  provisions ;  while  all 
felt  gratified  with  the  circumstances  with  which  they  were 
surrounded. 

As  pea-vines  were  then  abundant,  the  horses  and  cows  fed 
on  them,  in  the  woods  immediately  around  the  cabin.  His 
sister  kept  house.  With  the  four  cows,  she  made  sufficient 
butter  to  supply  their  own  family  and  the  greater  portion  of 
the  neighbors.  Their  house  was  the  centre  of  the  whole 
neighborhood.  The  country  became  now  comparatively 
filled  with  persons  looking  for  land,  and  most  of  them 
resorted  to  the  house  of  Robert  R.  Roberts  to  get  informa- 
tion concerning  the  region  around,  so  that  they  might  make 
the  best  selections  of  soil  and  location.  It  was  soon 
known  that  the  house  was  well  stored  with  provisions,  and 


CHAP.  II.]  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  51 

the  number  of  visitors  continued  to  increase.  Elizabeth 
Roberts,  too,  was  noted  for  her  kindness  and  liberality. 
She  would  carry  with  her  own  hands  provisions  to  the 
hungry  within  her  reach.  And  when  the  neighbors  called 
at  their  cabin  or  passed  by,  she  would  inquire  if  they 
wished  to  eat,  and  would  always  give  them  freely  of  the 
best  she  could  furnish.  And,  moreover,  when  she  saw 
persons  passing  near  the  house,  whom  she  suspected  of 
being  hungry,  she  would  go  to  the  fence,  hail  them  as  they 
passed,  carrying  them  victuals  to  relieve  their  hunger,  if 
they  could  not  stop,  or  inviting  them  in  to  partake  of 
her  supplies.  But,  her  benevolence  did  not  stop  here. 
From  Ligonier  she  took  with  her  four  coarse  linen  under 
bed-ticks ;  and  as  many  of  the  new  settlers  were  very  much 
in  need  of  clothing,  she  cut  them  all  up  to  make  clothes  for 
those  who  needed  them  most.  In  short,  she  became  the 
common  benefactress  of  the  hungry,  the  ill-clad,  the  house- 
less and  the  stranger ;  and  whenever  any  were  sick,  her 
best  services  were  rendered  to  them  most  freely  and  kindly. 
She  was  the  first  woman  who  went  to  that  settlement. 
There  was  no  other  nearer  than  where  Mercer  now  stands, 
a  distance  of  nineteen  miles,  or  Meadville,  a  distance  of 
twenty-two  miles. 

R.  R.  Roberts  raised  some  corn,  potatoes,  turnips  and 
pumpkins  ;  and  determined  to  spend  the  next  winter  in  that 
country,  his  sister  agreeing  to  spend  the  winter  with  him. 
In  tlie  fall,  his  father,  brother,  and  most  of  the  people 
returned  to  the  old  settlements.  He  laid  up  a  good  stock 
of  provisions — of  salt  a  large  supply.  As  chesnuts  were 
very  plentiful,  he  collected  a  large  quantity  of  them.  He 
had  also  found  a  bee-tree ;  it  was  a  large  pine.  The  quantity 
of  honey  obtained  therefrom  was  eleven  gallons,  which  he 
put  away  in  a  trough  made  for  the  purpose,  setting  it  in  his 
spring-house,  and  covering  it  with  a  lid  made  of  a  puncheon. 
Thus  they  had  an  abundance  of  honey  durhig  the  winter. 


52  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  [CHAP.  II. 

He  had,  besides  his  own  rifle,  several  others  left  in  his 
care,  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  ammunition,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  spend  the  winter  in  hunting.  He  kept  a  journal 
of  the  events  of  this  winter ;  but  it  was  either  lost,  or  he 
subsequenrty  destroyed  it,  as  no  information  respecting  it 
could  be  found  among  his  relatives,  except  barely  that  it 
was  kept.  On  the  9th  of  November,  1797,  it  began  to 
snow,  and  continued  for  two  days  and  nights ;  but  as  the 
ground  was  wet,  much  of  the  snow  melted.  What 
remained,  however,  was  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  deep. 
He  commenced  hunting,  and  continued  it  every  day  except 
Sundays;  for  he  had  no  work  on  hand  except  procuring 
wood  and  foddering  his  cattle.  Upward  of  two  weeks, 
he  hunted  diligently,  but  killed  nothing,  as  he  always 
overshot  the  deer.  When  he  went  home  at  night,  he 
was  generally  much  fatigued.  His  sister  plead  earnestly 
with  him  to  desist,  as  he  would  probably  lose  his  life  by 
hunting,  and  she  must  also  perish  with  him  in  so  lonely  a 
country,  for  no  aid  could  be  brought  to  her  relief  from  her 
friends  till  the  spring.  But  as  he  had  an  unconquerable 
desire  to  become  a  hunter,  he  persisted  in  his  course. 

One  morning  subsequently,  after  some  snow  had  fallen 
which  made  it  unpleasant  traveling,  he  went  toward  tlie 
creek,  and  saw  a  large  flock  of  turkeys.  As  it  was  with 
diflSculty  they  could  get  through  the  snow,  he,  supposing  he 
could  catch  them,  took  a  cncuit  in  order  to  get  around  and 
head  them.  After  doing  so,  he  saw  a  large  hollow  chesnut- 
tree,  with  a  hole  burned  through  it.  He  stepped  into  the 
tree,  and  put  his  gun  through  the  hole,  in  order  to  fire  at 
the  turkeys  as  they  came  toward  him.  In  a  few  minutes, 
a  deer  of  the  largest  kind,  came  walking  along,  within  three 
or  four  rods.  He  had  heard  hunters  say,  that  if  a  person 
would  bleat,  under  such  circumstances,  the  deer  would  stop. 
He  therefore  made  a  noise  in  imitation  of  the  bleating  of  a 
deer.    Immediately  it  stopped,  and  raised  its  head,  at  which 


CHAP.  II.]  SETTLEMENT  OF  SHENANGO.  53 

he  fired.  He  then  stepped  out,  and  saw  the  deer  running 
back  as  fast  as  possible.  At  this  he  despaired  of  ever  being 
a  hunter :  he  thought  he  could  not  certainly  have  a  better 
opportunity  than  the  present;  and  he  might  as  well  give 
up  hunting  for  ever.  Having  loaded  up,  he  went  on  the 
track  of  the  deer,  and  perceived  some  blood.  Following 
on  the  track  a  little  further,  he  found  it  dead.  He  was  now 
so  rejoiced  that,  instead  of  skinning  the  animal,  he  left  it, 
and  went  to  tell  his  sister  of  his  success.  He  returned, 
however,  immediately,  skinned  and  dressed  the  deer,  and 
carried  it  on  his  shoulders  home,  not  a  litde  flushed  with 
what  he  had  so  successfully  done. 

Early  next  morning,  he  saw  another  deer,  and  pursued 
it.  He  fired ;  the  deer  returned  on  its  track,  and  he  fol- 
lowed till  it  fell.  Thus  he  continued  successfully  to  pursue 
the  chase  till  February.  He  took  proper  care  of  the  flesh, 
preserving  the  hams,  and  eating  the  parts  that  could  not  be 
well  cured  to  advantage. 

At  one  time,  he  observed  tracks  which  he  did  not  know, 
but  on  finding  them  traced  to  a  tree,  he  cut  it  down,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  his  litfle  dog,  Yuno,  killed  three 
racoons  that  had  resorted  to  it.  These  were  the  first  he 
had  ever  taken.  Their  hams  were  preserved,  and  the  other 
parts  eaten  forthwith  as  needed.  The  hams,  when  frosted 
and  smoked,  are  improved  in  their  flavor  to  a  very  high 
degree. 

On  examination,  he  found  some  of  his  best  hams  had 
large  holes  eaten  in  them,  and  he  could  not  ascertain  how 
it  was  done.  One  night  he  heard  some  of  the  clapboards 
rattle  on  his  spring-house,  in  which  the  hams  were  kept. 
He  took  his  dog  with  him,  and  going  toward  the  spring- 
house,  saw  an  animal  run  out  at  the  top :  the  dog  chased  it 
and  treed  it.  He  made  a  very  large  fire  at  the  root  of  the 
tree,  and  observed  an  animal  above,  which  he  brought 
down  with  his  rifle  dead  at  his  feet.  He  did  not  know 
5* 


54  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANOO.    [cHAP.  III. 

precisely  what  kind  of  animal  it  was.  On  the  following 
day,  however,  an  Indian  who  happened  to  be  passing  that 
way  informed  him  it  was  a  wild  cat. 


CHAPTER  III. 

RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO. 

During  the  month  of  February,  1798,  Robert  R.  Rob- 
erts continued  his  hunting,  rising  early  every  day.  This 
occupation,  however,  was  sometimes  attended  with  con- 
siderable danger  to  his  life ;  and  that  danger  was  owing,  in 
some  degree,  to  his  want  of  due  skill  and  practice  in  the 
chase.  This  remark  will  be  fully  confirmed  by  an  occur- 
rence which  took  place  during  this  winter,  as  far  as  can  be 
ascertained.  It  happened  on  Thompson's  Run,  about  two 
miles  from  his  cabin. 

In  one  of  his  hunting  excursions  he  had  fired  at  on  old 
deer,  at  the  head  of  a  flat  gully  or  hollow,  leading  to 
Thompson's  Run,  or  rather  was  one  of  its  head  rivulets, 
but  was  dry,  except  in  very  wet  weather.  The  animal 
fell  prostrate,  as  if  dead.  He  proceeded  toward  the  sup- 
posed dead  prey,  without  observing  the  customary  pre- 
caution of  hunters,  that  of  always  re-loading  on  the  dis- 
charge of  the  rifle,  before  approaching  the  animal  fired  at, 
though  apparently  wounded  or  dead.  When  he  was  about 
to  seize  the  fallen  deer,  for  the  purpose  of  bleeding  and 
dressing  it,  the  infuriated  and  only  wounded  animal,  sprang 
to  its  feet,  and  with  its  long,  branchy,  and  many  pronged 
horns,  and  sharply  pointed  hoofs,  attacked  ferociously  our 
young  hunter.  His  only  mode  of  resistance  was  to  seize 
on  both  the  horns  with  his  hands,  while  the  animal  em- 
ployed its  feet  so  well  as  to  tear  in  tatters  the  hunter's 
clothes.    It  reared  frequently,  raising  its  assailant  from  the 


CHAP.  III.]    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANOO.  55 

ground,  so  that  both  were  many  times  thrown  down.  In 
the  meantime  the  fore  feet  of  the  deer  were  constantly  em- 
ployed in  inflicting  severe  bruises,  while  the  hunter  could 
do  no  more  than  barely  prevent  the  deadly  use  of  the 
horns.  The  struggle  commenced  at  the  head  of  the  hol- 
low, and  continued  downward,  until  both  reached  a  place 
where  a  large  tree  had  fallen  across,  so  as  to  leave  room  in 
the  middle  for  a  person  to  pass  under,  the  height  from  the 
ground  being  three  or  four  feet.  His  dog  rendered  some 
aid  by  seizing  the  deer  frequently  by  the  hind  legs.  Under 
this  tree,  both  were  precipitated.  Here  the  deer  was  unable 
to  rear  itself  erect  as  before ;  and  the  hunter,  by  the  assis- 
tance of  the  dog,  got  the  advantage  so  far  as  to  place  both 
his  knees  on  the  deer's  shoulder,  when,  with  one  hand  he 
held  down  its  head,  and  with  the  other  employed  his 
butcher  knife  in  dispatching  the  animal. 

The  danger  of  his  position  was  certainly  imminent,  as 
all  know  who  have  experience  or  knowledge  of  such  ren- 
counters. On  another  occasion,  Mr.  Roberts  had  wounded 
severely  a  deer  of  similar  size :  it  was  immediately  attacked 
by  two  or  three  dogs,  which  prevented  it  from  running. 
With  one  bound  and  desperate  push  of  his  horns,  the  ani- 
mal brought  a  large  dog  to  the  ground,  piercuig  it  through 
in  several  places,  so  that  it  was  instantly  killed;  and  the 
deer  was  dispatched  only  by  the  frequent  discharge  of  the 
rifle.  Mr.  Jolly,  in  the  same  neighborhood,  a  year  or  two 
afterward,  fired  at  a  deer  and  wounded  it.  On  seizing  the 
animal,  tlic  struggle  continued  for  a  distance  of  forty  rods. 
Mr.  Jolly,  however,  prevented  its  rising,  though  it  carried 
him  the  distance  just  named,  before  he  could  kill  it.  In 
short,  the  escape  of  R.  R.  Roberts,  on  the  occasion  referred 
to,  was  not  less  remarkable  than  that  of  John  Wesley  on 
the  burning  of  his  father's  house.  And  we  may  as  justly 
ascribe  providential  interference  to  the  one  case  as  to  the 
other. 


56  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP.  III. 

It  is  not  marvelous  that  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  was  much 
and  frequently  alarmed  at  the  dangerous  condition,  both 
of  her  brother  and  herself.  As  he  had  several  perilous  en- 
counters similar  to  those  mentioned  above,  and  as  he  often 
staid  out  at  night,  to  an  earlier  or  later  hour,  her  apprehen- 
sions were  far  from  being  imaginary.  Had  he  perished 
in  an  hunting  excursion,  how  perilous  her  situation  must 
have  been,  as  there  was  no  female  nearer  than  nineteen  or 
twenty-two  miles,  and  scarcely  any  male  persons,  at  that 
time  of  the  year,  within  the  same  distance.  Whenever 
her  brother  staid  out  late  at  night,  it  was  her  custom  to 
get  on  the  roof  of  the  cabin,  by  climbing  at  the  corner,  and 
then  halloo  at  the  highest  pitch  of  her  voice,  in  order  to 
give  him  the  direction  home  in  case  he  had  lost  his  way. 
It  was  also  his  custom  to  fire  his  gun,  when  he  heard 
her  call,  and  thus  give  the  signal  that  he  was  alive  and 
was  returning,  at  which  her  fears  were  relieved,  and  she 
would  go  into  the  house.  When,  however,  he  continued 
his  stay,  she  would  repeat  her  calls,  with  little  interruption, 
until  the  signal  agreed  on  was  given. 

One  morning  seeing  some  deer,  he  killed  one  of  them, 
and  liung  up  the  flesh,  covering  it  with  the  skin,  in  order  to 
protect  it  from  the  ravens.  He  then  got  on  the  track  of  a 
black  fox,  but  failing  to  find  it  he  returned  in  the  afternoon 
toward  home,  and  as  he  returned  shot  another  deer,  and 
broke  its  thigh.  His  dog  ran  toward  it,  and  made  it  stop; 
but  before  he  could  reach  the  animal  it  started  again.  He 
pursued  it,  until  he  got  into  a  region  of  woods  he  had  never 
been  in  before.  He  next  crossed  a  pine  swamp,  and  went 
toward  the  west  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down.  He 
found  the  deer  on  tlie  ice,  where  it  had  fallen,  the  dog  hav- 
ing caught  it  and  pulled  off  its  hair.  The  dog  went  toward 
him,  and  he  fired  again  at  tlie  animal,  killed  it,  and  dragged 
it  to  the  shore.  While  skinning  it  darkness  came  on,  and 
the  wolves  began  to  howl  in  various  directions.    He  hung 


CHAP.  III.]   RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  St 

up  the  meat,  covering  it  with  the  skin  as  usual,  and  started 
for  home.  He  steered  his  course  through  the  swamp  up 
to  the  highlands  by  the  aid  of  the  full  moon,  which  had 
just  then  risen. 

His  sister,  in  consequence  of  his  late  stay,  was  very 
much  alarmed,  and  as  usual  uttered  her  signal,  continuing 
to  do  so  until  she  heard  his  customary  response.  When  he 
arrived  on  the  high  ground,  he  heard  a  voice  halioonig,  and 
supposed  it  to  be  the  voice  of  his  sister,  but  wondered  that 
it  was  so  near.  He  fired  his  gun,  loaded  again  and  trav- 
eled on.  This  relieved  his  sister's  mind,  who  on  this  occa- 
sion was  unusually  afflicted,  for  she  had  nearly  given  him 
up  as  lost.  After  he  had  arrived  and  had  eaten  his  supper, 
lie  lay  down  on  the  floor,  with  his  feet  toward  the  fire,  as 
was  usual  with  hunters.  It  was  now  about  midnight.  The 
dog  began  to  bark ;  and  his  sister  lookmg  out,  saw,  by  the 
light  of  the  moon,  some  persons  approaching.  She  feared 
ihey  were  the  Indians,  and  of  course  was  greatly  alarmed. 
On  informing  her  brother,  he  jumped  up,  examined  his 
gun,  and  requested  her  to  stay  in  the  cabin,  while  he  stood 
at  the  door  for  defense.  He  placed  himself  in  a  ready 
position  to  fire,  if  necessary,  at  the  same  time  carefully  ob- 
serving the  approach.  He  soon  perceived  a  man  leading  a 
horse  witli  some  one  upon  it.  And  to  his  great  joy  and 
surprise,  found  that  it  was  John  Caughey,  who  had  married 
his  sister,  Esther,  and  was  just  returning  from  the  old 
neighborhood.  He  had  got  lost,  and  was  hallooing  when 
Robert  R.  fired  his  gun,  and  this  led  him  toward  the  house. 
As  Elizabeth  and  Caughey  both  hallooed,  it  is  probable 
that  Robert  heard  both,  or  he  may  have  heard  Caughey 
only.  The  report  of  his  gun,  however,  directed  the  one 
on  his  way,  and  relieved  the  fears  of  the  other.  Mr. 
Caughey  informed  him  that  his  father,  and  his  brothers, 
John  and  Lewis,  were  just  behind.  In  about  half  an  hour 
they  arrived.    Tliey  had  all  proceeded  from  Ligonier  to 


58  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [CHAP.  III. 

Shenango  on  horse-back,  which  was  the  only  way  they 
could  ti-avel  at  that  time.  They  carried  with  them  as  many 
articles  of  provision  as  they  conveniently  could.  They 
were  several  days  in  performing  the  trip,  and  much  of  the 
night  of  their  arrival  had  passed  away  bel'ore  they  reached 
the  clearing  and  the  cabin  where  the  brother  and  sister 
dwelt,  it  being  as  already  stated,  about  midnight.  The  sal- 
utations between  the  friends  were  unaccompanied  with 
formality,  but  they  were  sincere  and  warm.  Robert  R. 
slept  none  during  the  night  for  joy ;  and  Elizabeth  was  in 
ecstasies,  as  well  she  might,  after  so  many  anxieties  and 
comparative  solitude.  The  relatives  had  expected  to  find 
the  brother  and  sister,  upon  their  arrival,  almost,  if  not 
entirely,  out  of  provisions.  In  the  place  of  this,  iiowever, 
they  found  tlie  cabin  well  stored  with  venison  of  the  best 
quality.  The  arrival  of  his  friends,  it  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say,  finished  his  hunting  for  the  winter. 

Notwithstanding  the  active  mode  of  Robert  R.  Roberts' 
life,  his  mind  was  still  much  impressed  with  the  duty  of 
becoming  a  minister ;  and  this  occupied  his  thoughts, 
whether  wandering  through  the  woods,  or,  in  short, 
wherever  he  was. 

The  arrival  of  his  friends  was  very  unexpected,  as  he 
did  not  think  it  safe  for  them  to  come  so  far  till  the  latter 
part  of  March.  It  was,  however,  highly  gratifying  to  see 
them,  more  especially  as  his  father  intended  to  make  that 
country  his  future  home,  having  sold  a  part  of  his  posses- 
sions in  Westmoreland.  This  seemed  to  brigliten  R.  R. 
Roberts'  prospects  very  much,  both  of  temporal  and  spiritual 
prosperity,  as  the  family  was  large  and  mostly  grown,  and 
all  would  probably  settle  in  the  neighborhood,  land  being 
cheap  and  plentiful.  Many  of  them  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  it  was  expected  a  regidar  society 
would  be  formed  and  they  would  be  visited  by  the  preachers. 
A.  few  days  were  spent  together;  but  as  provisions  were 


CHAP.  III.]    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  59 

scarce,  Robert  R.  and  John  Roberts  took  the  skins  and  furs 
which  Robert  R.  had  collected  during  the  winter,  and  went 
back  to  the  old  settlement  on  horse-back,  and  there  disposed 
of  them  to  the  best  advantage. 

As  his  father  had  now  moved,  and  as  supplies  of  provi- 
sion were  difficult  to  procure,  Robert  R.  formed  the  plan 
of  taking  some  by  water  down  from  Connelsville  to  Beaver, 
and  up  Beaver  and  the  Big  and  Little  Shenangos.  He 
went  to  Connelsville,  and  purchased  a  perogue,  or  a  very 
large  canoe.  On  his  way  to  Connelsville,  he  stopped  at  the 
house  of  the  Rev.  Jacob  Gurwell,  a  local  preacher,  who 
resided  near  Chesnut  Ridge,  about  ten  miles  east  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county.  While  there,  Mr.  Gur- 
well had  a  meeting  at  the  house  of  James  Stevenson,  sen., 
brother-in-law  to  Mr.  Caughey.  Mr.  Gurwell  insisted  that 
R.  R.  Roberts  should  say  something  to  the  people,  by  way 
of  exhortation,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  sermon.  Accord- 
ingly he  made  the  attempt,  and  proceeded  with  great  cor- 
rectness and  pathos  to  deliver  a  brief  address  for  the 
edification  of  the  hearers.  Not  long  after  commencing,  an 
aged  Christian,  Mr.  M'Lean,  looked  very  intensely  at  the 
young  exhorter,  which  so  confused  him  that  in  a  very  short 
time  he  desisted,  supposing  the  earnest  gaze  was  an  expres- 
sion of  disapproval  of  his  intolerable  blunders;  whereas, 
the  venerable  Christian  was  struck  at  the  able  and  unex- 
pected performance  of  the  incipient  essayist.  This  was 
his  first  public  effort  by  way  of  exhortation ;  and  it  fur- 
nished an  example  both  of  his  ability  and  great  diffidence, 
which  diffidence  seems  to  have  been  innate,  as  it  remained 
with  him  more  or  less  through  life,  even  until  he  finished 
his  course. 

After  purchasing  the  load  of  provisions  and  other  articles, 
tliey  proceeded  on  their  voyage,  the  whole  company  con- 
sisting of  R.  R.  Roberts,  James  Stevenson,  sen.  and  Wm. 
Lindsay.    They  found  but  little  difficulty  in  descending 


60  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP.  III. 

the  Youghaganey,  Monongahela  and  Ohio  Rivers;  bui  Iiad 
considerable  in  their  ascent  up  the  Beaver  and  two  Shenan- 
gos,  in  consequence  of  the  higliness  of  the  waters,  the 
falls  of  Beaver,  and  the  heading  of  the  current.  At  the  falls 
of  Beaver  they  came  near  losing  tlieir  load.  The  danger 
was  at  Turkey  Rock.  Here  Lindsay  alone  was  in  the 
perogue,  as  steersman.  The  others  were  on  shore  using 
the  cordelle,  that  is,  having  a  rope  fastened  to  the  canoe, 
passing  over  their  shoulders,  at  which  they  pulled  with 
their  utmost  strength.  The  escape  of  Lindsay  at  this 
dangerous  passage  was  within  a  hairbreadth  of  submersion, 
as  he  and  Stevenson  themselves  afterward  stated. 

At  the  falls  they  fell  in  company  with  another  perogue, 
bound  for  the  same  place.  As  the  water  was  high,  they  of 
course  progressed  very  slowly.  Such  was  its  height  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Shenango,  that  they  could  not  even  reach  the 
bottom  with  their  poles.  The  low  banks  of  the  river  being 
inundated,  and  the  banks  of  the  streams  emptying  into  the 
river  being  closely  lined  with  trees,  bushes  and  fallen  timber, 
they  could  but  seldom  use  the  cordelle.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, they  concluded  to  leave  their  canoes,  with  one 
of  their  number  in  each,  and  proceed  to  the  settlement, 
supposing  that  it  was  but  a  few  miles  distant,  though  they 
were  actually  not  within  thirty  miles  of  it,  the  place  of  their 
stopping  being  at  the  mouth  of  the  Meshannick  Creek, 
where  New  Castle  now  stands. 

They  expected  to  reach  the  setdement  on  the  same  day, 
which  was  Saturday.  Six  of  them  were  in  company. 
'J'hey  traveled  all  day,  and  were  obliged  to  camp  out  at 
night  without  provisions.  A  snow  storm  came  on  before 
morning,  and  they  found  themselves  in  the  wilderness, 
where  every  track  and  path  was  so  obscured,  that  they 
could  not  ascertain  tlieir  course  with  any  certainty.  In  the 
evening  they  found  a  moccason  track,  which  they  supposed 
to  have  been  made  by  an  Indian.    They  followed  it,  and  it 


CHAP.  III.]    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  61 

led  them  to  some  Indian  camps  on  the  banks  of  the  She- 
nango.  The  leading  Indian,  Captain  Petty,  could  talk 
English,  and  from  him  they  learned  they  were  only  six  or 
eight  miles  up  the  river  from  the  place  where  they  had  left 
their  canoes  on  Saturday  morning.  Thus  they  had  traveled 
two  days  to  but  little  purpose.  They  were  all,  of  course, 
very  hungry,  having  fasted  two  days  and  a  night,  and  per- 
formed the  hard  labor  of  traveling  most  of  the  time  in  the 
snow.  Captain  Petty  promised  to  provide  some  victuals 
for  them.  After  the  use  of  a  camp  had  been  given  them, 
they  waited  with  no  small  degree  of  impatience  for  the  prom- 
ised supplies ;  as  what  they  had  gone  through  was  not  well 
calculated  to  preserve,  much  less  improve  the  temper.  The 
time  of  waiting  seemed  very  long  to  them,  and  Robert  R. 
Roberts  went  to  the  captain  and  told  him  they  were  exceed- 
mgly  hungry,  to  which  the  captain  replied,  "  The  women 
are  cooking."  Shortly  afterward  two  squaws  came  along 
with  a  little  brass  kettle,  holding  about  one  and  a  half  or 
two  gallons,  half  full  of  venison,  which  had  been  cut  up 
in  pieces  not  too  large  to  be  taken  into  the  mouth  at  once, 
and  broiled  in  bears'  oil.  No  salt  Avas  furnished;  they 
however  had  some  with  them,  which,  of  course,  they  used. 
Mr.  Gurwell  being  the  oldest,  a  little  hommony  was  brought 
him,  but  the  rest  received  none.  Shordy  a  hunter  came  in 
with  a  deer,  a  quarter  of  which  was  sent  to  the  strangers  as 
their  share.  They  cooked  some  and  eat  it,  and  reserved 
tlie  remainder  for  the  next  meal.  Having  breakfasted  on  it 
the  following  morning,  they  bought  from  the  Indians  some 
sugar;  and  also  hired  Captain  Petty,  as  he  could  speak  Eng- 
lish, to  be  their  guide,  for  which  he  was  to  receive  the  sum 
of  two  dollars.  One  of  the  company,  however,  who  had 
been  absent,  when  the  contract  was  made,  coming  in  and 
learning  the  terms,  objected,  by  saying  that  they  had  offered 
too  much.  The  Indian,  at  this,  became  very  angry,  and 
said,  "  When  I  say,  '  what  you  give  me  ?'  you  say,  'what 


62  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP,  III. 

you  take?'  then  I  say  what  I  take — you  say  'that  too 
much.'  "  The  objector  remarked,  that  they  had  not  much 
money.  Tlie  Indian  replied  with  great  spirit,  "  That  man 
lie — he  got  money  enough."  The  Indian,  in  short,  became 
so  much  out  of  temper  that  he  refused  to  go  on  any  con- 
sideration whatever. 

Some  of  the  company  then  applied  to  an  old  man.  R. 
R.  Roberts  thought  he  could  not  stand  the  journey ;  and  as 
he  could  not  speak  English,  he  objected  to  employing  him. 
Nevertheless,  after  some  further  conversation,  the  company 
agreed  to  accept  his  services.  After  starting,  they  found 
the  old  Indian  could  travel  as  fast  as  any  of  them.  When 
they  had  gone  some  distance,  the  Indian  grew  apparently 
fearful  of  his  pay,  and  began  to  make  signs  that  he  would 
like  to  have  his  money.  On  the  other  hand,  they  feared  to 
pay  him  lest  he  should  leave  them.  On  that  night  they 
got  to  the  edge  of  the  settlement,  about  eight  or  ten  miles 
from  where  R.  R.  Roberts'  clearing  was.  They  paid  the 
Indian  next  morning,  and  he  left  them,  well  pleased  with 
their  remuneration. 

When  Robert  R.  Roberts  reached  home,  he  found  his 
sister  making  sugar.  She  had  already  made  a  quantity, 
and  was  worn  down  with  fatigue,  as  she  had  labored  day 
and  night  at  this  slavish  work.  She  had  on  hand  much 
sugar  water  and  syrup.  During  the  day  she  collected  the 
water  from  the  troughs,  and  kept  the  kettles  and  pots 
boiling;  and  during  the  night,  or  a  great  part  of  it,  she  still 
attended  to  the  filling  up  of  the  kettles  and  the  good  order  of 
the  fires.  Her  brother,  on  his  arrival,  took  her  place,  and 
thus  afl!brded  her  rest  at  the  house.  He,  too,  was  both  tired 
and  sleepy,  and  in  no  very  good  condition  to  superintend 
such  a  business.  He  however  comtnenced,  with  the  pur- 
pose of  doing  efficient  services  for  the  night.  After  filling 
up  the  kettles,  he  lay  down  to  rest,  intending  to  wake  up 
in  due  time.    He  awoke  sometime  about  midnight,  filled 


CHAP.  III.]    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENAN60.  63 

the  kettles,  and  after  laying  down,  immediately  fell  asleep 
The  kettle  of  the  strongest  syrup  boiled  over,  the  noise  of 
which  awakened  him.  He  sprang  up  in  great  alarm.  The 
blaze  appeared  to  be  six  or  eight  feet  high.  In  the  con- 
fusion of  the  moment,  he  seized  a  bucket,  filled  it  with 
water,  and  threw  it  into  the  overflowing  kettle.  The  sud- 
den effect  of  the  cold  water  was  to  split  the  kettle  in  two, 
the  syrup,  of  course,  being  all  spilled  into  the  fire.  This 
exploit  finished  his  sugar  making  for  the  night. 

After  a  delay  of  two  or  three  days,  R.  R.  Roberts  and 
his  younger  brother,  Lewis,  went  down  the  Shenango  to 
where  the  canoes  were,  and  brought  them  up  to  the  neigh- 
borhood, within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  his  house.  This  was 
probably  the  first  and  last  time  that  perogues  were  taken  up 
the  Little  Shenango  by  white  men. 

About  the  middle  of  April  this  year,  (1798,)  R.  R.  Rob- 
erts and  his  younger  brother,  Lewis,  went  back  to  Ligo- 
nier  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  to  the  new  residence  a 
part  of  his  father's  family;  namely,  his  sisters,  Sarah, 
Nancy  and  Sophia,  and  his  maternal  grand-father,  Mr. 
Richford,  who  was  then  a  very  old  man,  probably  about 
ninety-three  years  of  age.  It  was  with  diflUculty  he  could 
travel  on  horse-back,  the  only  mode  of  traveling  m  this  new 
country  at  that  time.  One  of  them  had  often  to  ride  by  his 
side,  especially  in  crossing  the  streams,  in  order  to  protect 
him  from  falling  from  his  horse ;  and,  for  the  most  part,  to 
ride  or  walk  near  him,  so  as  to  keep  his  horse  in  the  path, 
and  prevent  himself  from  receiving  injury  from  the  branches 
of  the  trees,  or  the  limbs  of  fallen  timber.  They  were  ten 
days  in  traveling  from  Ligonier  to  Shenango,  starting  on  the 
25th  of  April,  and  arriving  on  the  4th  of  May.  They 
traveled  about  ten  miles  each  day.  They  crossed  Wolf 
Creek  by  felling  trees  on  each  side,  which  met  in  the  middle. 
Robert  R.  carried  on  his  back  the  bags  of  flour  and  other  pro- 
visions over  this  newly  and  singularly  constnicted  bridge. 


64  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP.  111. 

walking  on  the  trunks  of  the  fallen  trees,  or  stepping  cau- 
tiously from  branch  to  branch,  and  thus  the  articles  were  saved 
from  being  wet.  He  next  took  his  sisters  across,  one  by 
one,  leading  them  by  the  hand  and  passing  on  before  them. 
Then  the  horses,  all  but  two,  were  driven  into  the  water, 
and  compelled  to  swim  across.  The  grand-father  and  the 
two  remaining  horses  were  still  on  the  other  side.  Tlie 
old  man  could  not  cross  the  logs  by  any  aid  with  wliich  he 
could  be  furnished.  Beside,  being  in  his  dotage,  he  was 
sometimes  peevish ;  and  on  this  occasion  became  unusually 
stubborn,  and  refused  to  do  any  thing.  The  horses  that 
had  crossed  were  carried  down  the  stream  some  distance, 
and  they  approached  the  other  side,  where  the  bank  was 
high,  and  the  water  just  below  swimming  depth.  They 
then  had  to  walk  several  rods  along  the  bank  in  the  water, 
up  stream,  before  tliey  could  get  out.  After  considerable 
complaining  and  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  grand-father, 
Robert  R.  got  him  on  one  of  the  remaining  horses,  and 
mounted  the  other  himself,  leading  the  old  man's  horse  by 
the  bridle.  They  slowly  entered  the  stream,  he,  probably 
by  a  stealthy  march,  getting  Mr.  Richford  in  the  water,  and 
then  proceeded  to  the  deep  place,  in  swimming  over  which, 
he  held  his  grand-father  on  the  saddle,  leading  the  horse  on 
which  he  rode,  and  guiding  his  own  as  well  as  he  could, 
until  the  horses  struck  the  bottom  on  the  other  side,  just 
against  the  high  bank.  There  the  grand-father's  faithful 
nurse  and  guardian,  Sarah,  kind  and  attentive  as  a  mother, 
was  ready  to  aid.  With  Robert  on  the  horse,  and  Sarah  on 
tlie  bank,  the  venerated  man  was  lifted  off,  and  placed 
securely  on  the  bank  without  injury,  except  a  good  wetting, 
and  a  terrible  fright,  he  belaboring  them  heartily  at  the  same 
time  for  their  rough  treatment.  The  beloved  grand-father 
was  tlicn  left  in  the  care  of  Sarah,  while  Robert  took  the 
horses  up  stream  to  where  he  could  leave  the  channel. 
After  some  changing  of  wet  clothes  for  dry,  and  other  little 


CHAP.  III.]   RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  65 

adjustments,  they  re-loaded  the  packs,  and  continued  the 
journey,  glad  that  their  charge  was  preserved  from  a  watery 
grave,  and  that  they  had  it  in  their  power  to  contribute  to- 
ward his  safety  and  comfort. 

During  the  whole  journey  they  lay  out  every  night. 
Nancy  Roberts  drove  three  cows  and  two  pet  pigs,  carry- 
ing an  axe  on  her  shoulder,  and  walking  all  the  way.  Sa- 
rah walked  also,  and  carried  a  spinning  wheel  on  her  shoul- 
der, beside  taking  care  of  her  grand-father  much  of  the 
journey.  Sophia  sometimes  rode  behind  the  pack  on  one 
of  the  horses,  and  sometimes  walked.  The  old  man, 
though  very  feeble  and  somewhat  peevish,  received  no 
injury  by  the  journey. 

Both  the  temporal  and  spiritual  concerns  of  the  new  set- 
tlement now  began  to  wear  a  new  aspect.  The  family  of 
the  Roberts  was  a  considerable  accession  to  the  population, 
or  rather  they  formed  the  original  stock,  and  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  whole.  A  large  number  of  other  families 
and  individuals  also  crowded  into  the  new  country.  Hence, 
all,  or  nearly  all  the  land  was  immediately  occupied,  some 
by  individuals  who  expected  to  be  joined  shortly  by  their 
families,  residing  elsewhere,  and  designing  to  make  this 
new  location  their  future  homes.  In  many  cases,  whole 
families  moved  at  once,  instantly  commencing  their  im- 
provements. In  every  four  hundred  acre  tract,  one  or  more 
cabins  were  erected,  and  clearings  commenced,  while  setder 
greeted  settler  in  every  direction,  hailing  him,  though  for- 
merly an  utter  stranger,  as  his  neighbor  and  his  brother, 
with  whom  he  and  his  children  were  to  partake  in  future 
time  of  the  weal  or  woe  of  human  life,  and  of  the  advantages 
or  disadvantages  of  the  new  country.  In  many  other  cases, 
the  ties  that  combine  relatives  and  old  neighbors,  formed 
points  of  attraction  and  influence.  Relative  induced  relative 
to  share  with  them  the  advantages  of  their  new  and  permanent 
home.  Hence,  long  lines  of  family  relations  were  attracted 
6" 


66  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP.  HI, 

to  this  new  neighborhood.  There  were  the  Roberts, 
and  Stevensons,  and  Walkers,  and  M'Leans,  and  Dumars, 
Slc,  to  fill  up  large  portions  of  the  previously  unoccupied 
territory.  Then  neighbors  induced  former  neighbors  to 
become  their  associates,  for  future  time,  on  the  prospects  of 
independence  and  wealth,  or  at  least  the  competency  which 
they  would  undoubtedly  possess  in  the  new  settlement. 
When  one  of  the  new  settlers  visited  his  former  neighbors 
or  friends,  in  the  older  settlements  where  he  had  formerly 
dwelt,  the  inquiry  was  made  by  all,  TVliat  do  you  think 
of  the  new  country?  The  visitant  was  eloquent  in  answer- 
ing the  question,  stating  that  the  land  was  good  and  cheap, 
the  water  pure,  and  the  prospects  all  flattering,  while  hia 
tongue  glowed  with  ardor  in  his  descriptions,  and  his  very 
feelings  were  enlisted  in  urging  his  friends  to  partake  with 
him  of  the  golden  prospects.  By  such  means,  means  that 
always  tend  powerfully  to  replenish  new  settlements,  tlie 
population  of  Shenango  was  very  much  increased. 

But  the  religious  prospects  were  still  more  favorable, 
especially  to  Methodists.  Nearly  all  the  Roberts  were 
steady  and  well  established  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  who  formed  an  excellent  basis  for  the 
organization  of  a  new  Church.  A  large  number  of  others 
were  also  attached  to  the  same  Church,  who,  from  their  good 
character,  were  valuable  members.  The  Rev.  Jacob  Gur- 
well,  an  Irishman,  and  a  local  preacher,  of  moderate  talents, 
but  of  excellent  Christian  character  and  sterling  worth, 
became  a  permanent  inhabitant  of  the  new  colony.  On  his 
arrival  in  the  settlement  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  (1798,) 
he  immediately  commenced  holding  meetings.  He  was 
faithful  and  useful.  He  preached  every  Sabbath  day  to  his 
neighbors,  and  was  the  first  Avho  opened  the  kingdom  oj 
heaven,  in  the  new  settlement,  making  good  use  of  the  keys^ 
by  planting  a  Church,  and  proclaiming  the  Gospel  where 
Christ  had  never  been  preached  before.    He  was  therefore 


CHAP,  in.]    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  67 

the  rainisterial  apostle  of  this  country  ;  as  Robert  R.  Roberts 
was  the  pioneer  of  its  improvement  and  population.  Mr. 
Gurwell  searched  out  and  found  all  who  had  formerly  been 
members  of  the  Church,  and  exhorted  them  to  remember 
their  Christian  obligations.  It  is  probable  that  he  met  them 
in  class  for  some  time,  before  any  formal  organization  took 
place. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Gurwell,  another  local  preach- 
er, Mr.  Thomas  M'Clelland,  an  Irisliman  also,  became  a 
setder  in  the  neighborhood.  He  had  preached  two  years  in 
Ireland,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Wesley.  He  possessed 
excellent  gifts  as  a  preacher,  had  great  zeal,  and  was  a  man 
of  unblemished  Christian  character  and  ardent  piety. 
His  labors  were  much  blessed  to  the  new  settlement. 
Indeed  he  became,  as  a  matter  of  coui-se,  the  principal 
spiritual  guide  of  the  new  settlers.  He  and  Mr.  Gurwell 
labored  in  great  harmony  together  ;  and  by  their  joint  labors, 
tlie  religious  concerns  of  the  neighborhood  received  a  great 
impulse,  while  beginnings  were  then  made  whose  influence 
continues  to  this  day,  and  will  doubtless  remain  in  progress 
during  all  time. 

The  first  society  or  class  was  formed  in  the  settlement  in 
the  summer  of  1798,  probably  by  the  local  preachers,  as  is 
mosUy  the  case;  for  to  them  it  pertains,  as  pioneers  of 
religion,  to  organize  the  first  classes  almost  everywhere. 
When  Robert  R.  Roberts  left  Ligonier,  in  1796,  he  took 
no  certificate  of  his  membership  with  him,  as  there  had 
been  no  Church  formed  as  yet  at  Shenango,  and  it  was  then 
uncertain  whetlier  he  would  make  the  new  country  his 
home ;  he  therefore  preferred  still  holding  his  membership 
in  Ligonier.  When,  however,  in  1797,  he  determined  to 
settle  in  this  country,  he  applied  for  his  certificate  of  Church 
membership.  This  he  received  from  Rev.  J.  Smith,  of  the 
Redstone  circuit,  which  then  embraced  Ligonier.  When 
the  class  was  formed,  he  was  chosen  as  leader.    He  met 


68  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [CHAP.  HI. 

them;  and  tliough  he  sang  and  prayed,  yet  he  did  not 
speak  to  them  in  the  customary  way.  Several  of  the  class 
Avere  members  of  his  father's  family,  all  of  whom  were 
older  than  himself,  and,  as-  he  thought,  more  gifted ;  and 
therefore  he  was  too  timid  to  exhort  and  instruct  them. 
Besides,  he  was  naturally  retiring,  even  to  a  fault.  This  so 
far  influenced  him,  that  with  his  present  amount  of  experi- 
ence, he  could  not  be  induced  to  address  the  members 
individually,  by  any  consideration  or  persuasion  whatever, 
which  his  spiritual  friends  and  the  local  preachers  could 
bring  forward.  Some  objected  to  his  course,  and  urged 
him  to  adopt  the  usual  method.  But  still  his  backwardness 
stood  in  the  way.  The  result  was  that  another  leader  was 
chosen.  The  new  leader,  however,  not  only  did  all  they 
wanted,  but  more  too,  so  that  he  really  wearied  the  members 
with  too  much  speaking.  R.  R.  Roberts  was  then  again 
induced  to  take  charge  of  the  class,  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  the  members,  making  them,  as  they  requested  it,  a 
partial  promise  that  he  would  speak  to  them  as  soon  as  he 
felt  qualified  to  do  so,  or  could  muster  sufficient  fortitude 
to  enable  him  to  bear  so  great  a  cross.  He  gradually  got 
the  better  of  his  retiring  disposition  and  habits,  so  far  as  to 
make  small  beginnings  toward  the  full  performance  of  his 
duties  as  a  leader.  He  was  aided  by  Mr.  Caughey,  his 
brother-in-law,  and  others,  who  would  frequently  speak  to 
the  members  of  the  class  on  his  behalf.  He  continued  to 
hold  prayer  meetings  as  before  ;  and  as  tliose  meetings  were 
then  often  connected  witli  class  meetings,  he  would  gener- 
ally begin  or  conclude  by  singing  and  prayer,  while  some 
of  the  other  brethren  would  speak  to  the  class.  The 
meetings,  during  the  summer,  were  held  at  the  house  of 
James  Stevenson,  sen.  Here  he  would  sometimes  speak  to 
some  of  the  members;  and  thus,  by  degrees,  he  became 
trained  in  the  performance  of  his  duty.  He  generally  went 
with  the  local  preacliers  to  tlicir  meetings,  and  for  the  most 


CHAP.  111.']    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  69 

part  concluded  them  by  singing  and  prayer ;  but  would 
neither  exhort  nor  attempt  to  preach.  The  country  was 
rapidly  filling  with  inhabitants,  and  the  congregations  were 
large,  as  the  people  came  from  a  great  distance,  there  being 
no  other  religious  meeting  then  in  the  setdement.  The  local 
preacher,  M'Clelland,  was  perhaps  the  first  who  ever  talked 
to  him  about  preaching  or  speaking  in  public.  After  con- 
versing several  times  with  him,  Mr.  M'Clelland  firmly 
believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  break  through  difficulties  and 
commence  preaching;  but  still  he  declined  to  make  any 
attempt,  urging,  as  a  reason,  his  great  incompetency,  and 
the  magnitude,  sanctity  and  vast  importance  of  the  minis- 
terial office.  He  pursued  the  same  course  of  life  until  the 
spring  of  1801,  his  mind,  however,  still  laboring  under  the 
deepest  convictions  of  his  call  to  the  ministry,  which  ren- 
dered him  very  uneasy,  even  so  affecting  him  as  frequently 
to  make  him  unfit  for  any  efficient  wordly  duties. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1798,  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  was 
married  to  Wm.  Lindsay.  This  left  Robert  R.  Roberts 
without  a  house-keeper.  She  was  all  along  his  favorite 
sister ;  and  as  she  had  been  his  sharer  in  toil  during  the 
previous  year,  especially  amid  the  tribulations  of  the  winter, 
his  former  strong  brotherly  attachment  to  her  was  gi-eatly 
increased.  He  felt  solitary  after  Elizabetli  left  him,  and 
had  she  remained  single,  and  consented  still  to  live  with 
him,  it  is  probable  he  never  would  have  married.  On  this 
point,  however,  nothing  certain  can  be  stated.  From  the 
marriage  of  Elizabeth,  he  lived  with  his  fatlier,  until 
married  himself. 

In  November,  the  hunting  season  again  commenced.  It 
was  opened  in  the  chase  of  racoons.  Robert  R.,  his 
brother,  Lewis,  and  John  M'Gi-anahan,  a  famous  hunter, 
went  in  company,  with  dogs  and  guns.  Presently  some 
were  treed  by  the  dogs.  R.  R.  Roberts  climbed  up  a 
leaning  chesnut-tree,  in  search  of  one  that  had  ascended, 


70  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP.  1X1. 

and  after  much  trouble  in  following  the  animal  from  limb 
to  limb,  succeeded  finally  in  shaking  it  down.  It  lay  as 
dead,  but  soon  revived  from  the  stun  of  the  fall,  and  gave 
vigorous  battle  to  the  dogs.  All  the  adventures  of  "  coon- 
hunting"  were  enjoyed  by  the  young  woodsmen,  the 
details  of  which  would  occupy,  Avithout  adequate  profit, 
many  of  our  pages.  And  again  we  would  say,  let  those 
■who  are  fond  of  the  narrative  converse  a  few  evenings  with 
an  old  experienced  "  coon-hunter,"  and  we  promise  them 
they  will  be  highly  amused ;  but  whether,  in  their  circum- 
stances, they  will  receive  much  profitable  knowledge,  we 
are  not  prepared  to  say. 

They  continued  their  hunting  up  to  the  first  of  January, 
with  considerable  success  and  some  profit.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  January,  1799,  perhaps  on  the  second  day  of  the 
month,  they  went,  with  three  horses  laden  with  skins,  to 
Greensburg.  The  deer  skins  amounted  to  fifty  or  sixty  ; 
the  number  of  racoon  skins  was  considerable,  and  then 
there  was  the  skin  of  the  black  fox,  which  cost  Mr.  Roberts 
the  long  and  wearisome  chase  just  mentioned ;  there  was 
also  the  skin  of  the  thievish  wild-cat  which  made  such 
havoc  of  the  hunter's  deer  hams  in  the  spring-house, 
and  which  he  shot  by  torch-light,  on  the  last  night  of  its 
robbery — a  sample  of  many  a  human  being  who  continues 
in  concealed  evil  until  he  is  finally  caught,  and  receives  his 
just  retribution.  The  deer-skins  at  that  time  sold  high, 
commanding  twenty-five  cents  a  pound ;  and  as  they 
weighed  from  five  to  ten  pounds  each,  the  average  would 
be  about  eight,  which  would  bring  about  two  dollars  a 
skin.  The  racoon  and  other  skins  were  proportionably 
high.  The  entire  amount  of  their  peltry  was  therefore 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  a  sum  of  no  small 
amount  to  persons  under  their  circumstances.  They 
applied  the  proceeds  of  their  furs  principally  to  the  pur- 
chase of  clothing,  of  which  they  were  then  very  much  in 


CHAP.  III.]    RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.  ?1 

need.  From  Greensburg  they  proceeded  to  Ligonier,  where 
they  remained  a  few  weeks. 

Before  we  proceed  any  furtner  in  our  narrative,  we  will 
say  a  few  words  on  the  privations  incident  toward  settling 
this  new  country. 

In  the  first  settlement  of  this  region,  all  the  provisions 
had  to  be  taken  from  Cassewago,  or  Meadville,  by  the 
settlers,  and  they  had  to  pack  them  on  their  backs.  They 
could  not  then  pack  on  horse-back ;  because  they  had 
neither  grain,  pasture,  nor  fodder,  on  which  to  feed  their 
horses ;  and  the  expense  of  keeping  them  exceeded  the 
benefit  derived  from  them  at  this  period  of  their  improve- 
ments. 

A  more  advanced  resort  was  to  obtain  provisions  by 
canoes.  But  this  was  attended  with  such  danger,  and  liable 
to  so  many  interruptions,  both  by  low  and  high  water,  that 
it  could  not  be  depended  on  as  any  certain,  much  less  per- 
manent mode  of  supply. 

Next,  recourse  was  had  to  packing  on  horse-back.  This 
had  been  the  common  way  of  conveying  provisions  in 
Western  Pennsylvania  previous  and  up  to  this  period.  A.11 
the  salt  was  thus  packed  and  conveyed  across  the  moun- 
tains from  Maryland  and  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Store- 
goods,  iron,  and  other  materials,  were  brought  in  the  same 
way.  There  were  probably  no  wagon  roads  across  the 
mountains  at  that  time,  or,  if  there  were  any,  they  were  so 
bad  that  packing  was  the  most  expeditious,  as  well  as  the 
cheapest  mode  of  conveying  such  articles  as  were  needed, 
and  could  not  then  be  manufactured  in  the  west. 

Precisely  the  same  state  of  things  remained  between 
Ligonier  and  Shenango,  as  that  which  existed  between  the 
east  and  west  of  the  mountains.  At  first,  the  mode  of  con- 
veyance was  up  the  Alleghany  and  French  Creek  to  Casse- 
wago, and  then  by  packing  on  the  back  and  traveling  on 
.foot  to  Shenango.    Next  they  tried  boating  up  the  She- 


72  RELIGION  PLANTED  IN  SHENANGO.    [cHAP.  HI. 

nango ;  but  this  mode  failed.  Afterward  the  pack-horse  was 
resorted  to.  A  path  was  then  made  through  Butler  and 
Mercer,  which  reduced  the  distance  one  third.  There 
were  neither  Avagons  nor  wagon  roads  in  these  days  in 
Mercer  and  Butler  counties ;  and  the  old  mode  of  packing, 
which  was  just  being  laid  aside  in  crossing  the  mountains, 
was  resorted  to,  as  a  matter  of  course,  by  the  pioneer  Rob- 
erts and  his  associates,  in  bringing  provisions  for  their 
supply.  Owing  to  these  causes,  provisions,  when  brought 
to  Shenango,  were  exceedingly  dear;  and,  moreover,  money 
was  very  scarce  with  the  first  settlers ;  or,  rather,  those  who 
had  little  or  no  money,  were  the  persons  who  originally 
settled  there,  and  that  chiefly  because  they  had  no  money, 
or  very  little  of  it. 

The  sufli"erings  of  the  first  settlers  were,  therefore,  very 
considerable.  We  will  furnish  a  few  specimens  :  Robert 
R.  Roberts,  in  the  summer  of  1797,  just  before  his  sister, 
Elizabeth,  reached  him,  lived  altogether  on  squirrels  and 
some  salt  for  three  weeks,  as  before  stated,  in  consequence 
of  which  he  became  lean,  emaciated  and  weak.  Mr.  Thos. 
Jolly,  who,  in  the  spring  of  1797,  located  the  farm  subse- 
quently owned  by  John  Leech,  sen.,  paid,  in  the  year 
1778,  four  silver  dollars,  at  Cassewago,  for  two  bushels  of 
corn  meal,  carrying  one  bushel  home  on  his  back,  and  then 
going  a  second  time  for  the  other,  thus  traveling  eighty-eight 
miles  in  all.  In  the  same  year,  (1788,)  Mr.  Jolly  lived 
from  the  first  of  April  to  the  end  of  June,  a  period  of  three 
months,  on  bad  potatoes,  without  any  other  nourishment 
whatever.  His  teeth  became  loose,  as  he  said,  for  want  of 
exercise  in  chewing.  For  the  space  of  six  weeks,  in  the 
winter  of  1798,  the  whole  family  of  the  Roberts,  and  most 
of  the  other  settlers,  had  no  bread  of  any  kind.  When 
Mr.  Caughey's  house  was  consumed  by  fire,  five  persons 
put  up  a  new  one,  fourteen  feet  square,  in  one  day,  and 
covered  it,  without  having  any  thing  to  eat 


CHAP.  IV.] 


CAIL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


T? 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 

Robert  R.  Roberts  and  his  brother,  Lewis,  remained 
three  or  four  weeks  in  Westmoreland  county  after  they 
had  sold  their  furs.  During  their  stay,  Robert  was  married 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Oldham,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Han- 
nah Oldham,  of  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  He  was  then 
a  few  months  over  twenty  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Roberts 
was  born  November  8th,  being  then  about  two  months  over 
twenty-three  years  of  age.  AVith  Mrs.  Roberts  he  had 
been  acquainted  before  he  set  out  for  Shenango,  in  1796; 
but,  from  all  we  can  learn,  no  previous  step  toward  matri- 
monial engagements  had  been  taken,  with  any  seriousness, 
until  his  present  visit.  The  courtship  was  brief,  and  con- 
sisted only  in  a  very  few  preliminaries,  unaccompanied 
with  many  of  the  usual  formalities  of  such  arrangements. 
With  the  particulars  we  are  not  specially  acquainted,  ex- 
cept that  the  whole  was  consummated  within  the  compass 
of  a  few  days.  They  both,  however,  had  previously  had 
a  full  knowledge  of  each  other's  character,  and  the  family 
relations,  for  several  years. 

About  the  first  of  February,  1799,  this  being  about  two 
weeks  after  their  marriage,  R.  R.  Roberts,  his  wife,  and 
brother,  Lewis,  set  out  from  Ligonier  for  Shenango,  with 
four  horses.  One  of  the  horses  Mrs.  Roberts  rode,  with 
the  accompaniment  of  a  good  sized  pack,  which  was  placed 
on  the  saddle,  and  on  which  she  herself  sat.  The  other 
three  horses  were  heavily  laden  with  packs,  and  Robert 
and  Lewis  walked,  driving  or  leading  the  three  horses. 
The  materials  packed  consisted  of  provisions,  clothing  and 
bed-clothes,  with  dishes,  pots  and  such  other  utensils  as 
were  necessary  for  house-keeping  in  a  very  economical 
and  plain  style,  and  could  be  taken  by  this  mode  of  con- 
7 


li  CXIX  TO  THE  SnNISTRY.  [cHAP.  IV. 

veyance.  A  good  supply  of  cast  iron  kettles,  for  making 
sugar,  formed  a  very  necessary  part  of  the  outfit.  These 
were  well  cleaned  and  then  packed  in  the  flour  bags,  so  as 
to  be  carried  with  the  greatest  safety  and  ease,  as  well  as  to 
make  the  packs  of  the  least  possible  bulk.  The  latter  was 
an  important  consideration,  as  the  horses  had  frequently  to 
press  their  way  through  brush  and  low  underwood,  and  also 
to  go  through  narrow  passages  or  paths  that  ran  close  to 
trees  or  the  branches  of  trees,  in  which  difficult  places  all 
are  aware  bulky  packs  would  be  much  more  liable  to  be 
overturned  than  small  ones.  Our  young  adventurers  were 
raised  too  just  before  the  packing  business  across  the  moun- 
tains had  ceased,  and  they  were,  therefore,  acquainted  with 
all  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  entire  packing  system.  Thus 
equipped,  they  set  out  on  their  journey,  prepared  to  stop 
any  where,  and  encamp  in  the  woods  for  the  night,  their 
ready  provisions  and  cooking  utensils  being  so  adjusted, 
either  in  the  packs  or  attached  to  them,  as  to  be  easily 
within  reach  at  any  time. 

But  it  seems  that  no  human  precaution,  however  well 
the  means  may  be  arranged  and  preconcerted,  can  avoid  all 
accidents  and  disappointment.  Some  of  their  sugar-kettles 
were  broken  by  the  packs  striking  against  trees,  or  jutting, 
sharp  pointed  limbs,  when  the  horses  were  urged  too  near 
them  by  the  narrowness  of  the  path,  or  the  contiguity  of 
logs  or  other  jostling  impediments. 

An  event  happened  during  this  journey  which  their  gen- 
erally well  devised  foresight  could  not  prevent.  Breaking  a 
sugar-kettle  or  two,  even  when  there  is  no  money  in  posses- 
sion to  re-place  them,  are  occurrences  of  trivial  importance 
compared  with  the  dangers  and  miseries  of  lying  out  at  night, 
surrounded  with  howling  wolves,  being  well  drenched  in 
rain,  and  having  hungry  appetites.  Under  the  former  life 
and  limb  are  perfectly  safe ;  but  by  the  latter  both  are  seri- 
ously endangered.    Toward  evening  one  day,  as  they  were 


CHAP.  IV.]  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  75 

on  their  journey,  Lewis,  and  his  two  pack-horses,  pro- 
ceeded somewhat  in  advance  of  the  horses  of  his  brother, 
Robert.  Night  came  on,  and  the  path  was  so  obscured  that 
Robert  and  his  newly  married  wife  were  compelled  to  remain 
in  the  woods,  or  rather  in  a  bushy  prairie,  till  morning.  As 
the  horses  had  already  got  out  of  the  path,  they  feared  to 
venture  onward,  knowing  that,  under  the  circumstances, 
they  were  as  liable  to  go  the  wrong  way  as  the  right. 
They,  therefore,  thought  it  most  prudent  to  stay  for  the 
night  just  where  they  were.  To  Robert,  this  was  no  diffi- 
cult matter,  as  he  had  been,  for  the  two  preceding  years, 
pretty  well  trained  to  such  adventures.  To  his  bride,  the 
event  was  only  new,  as  she  was  made  of  as  good  material 
as  he  for  enduring  hardships  of  this  character.  No  person 
of  her  sex  was  ever  better  prepared  to  take  a  first  lesson  in 
such  an  adventure,  or  to  remember  the  instruction  for  the 
future.  Lewis  had  all  the  provisions  on  his  horses ;  and,  of 
course,  they  had  to  pass  the  night  supperless,  though  they 
had  eaten  nothing  since  breakfast,  which  was  taken  early 
in  the  morning.  They  encamped  in  the  open  air.  This 
was  in  the  first  week  of  February,  die  snow  still  lying  on 
the  ground,  and  the  rigor  of  winter's  cold  and  blasts  still 
continuing.  When  they  were  about  to  fall  asleep,  wrapped 
in  their  blankets  and  over-coats,  the  wolves  began  to  howl 
around  most  lustily,  and  so  near  to  them  that  they  were 
afraid  to  go  asleep,  lest  their  noisy  neighbors  would  favor 
them  with  a  more  intimate  visit.  The  night,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  was  spent  sleepless,  and  not  without  several 
inquiries  on  her  part  and  answers  on  his,  respecting  the 
wolves  and  the  danger  of  their  being  devoured  by  thera. 
"  Robert,"  said  she,  "  they  will  certainly  eat  us  before 
morning."  "No,  Betsy,"  was  the  reply,  "they  will  be 
afraid  to  approach  us ;  and  if  they  do,  this  half  burned 
stick,  with  its  red  blaze,  will  terrify  them  so  that  they 
will  never  face  it  to  assault  us."    Many  inquiries  like 


76 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


[chap.  IV. 


this  were  made,  which  were  as  satisfactorily  answered  by 
him. 

As  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  packs  were  placed  on  the 
horses.  Mrs.  Roberts  got  on  her  easy  seat  on  the  pack, 
surmounted  by  the  bed-clothes  of  the  night,  and  Robert 
threaded  on  before  her,  leading  his  horse,  until  he  found  the 
path  they  had  lost  the  evening  before.  They  then  pursued 
their  course  until  they  reached  the  hut  where  Lewis  spent 
the  night.  They  congratulated  themselves  on  arriving,  that 
their  resting  place,  poor  as  it  was,  had  more  desirable  ac- 
commodations than  that  in  which  Lewis  had  staid ;  for  the 
house  was  most  miserable  and  wretched,  every  person  and 
every  thing  in  it  being  literally  covered  with  fillli.  The 
resident  family  had  been  privileged  with  feasting  on  a 
recently  killed  bear,  and  all  things  around  had  the  impress 
of  the  greasy  dainties.  By  saturated  proportions  of  ashes 
with  bear's-oil,  both  the  clothes  and  persons  of  the  inmates, 
as  well  as  the  few  pieces  of  rude  furniture,  presented  no 
very  sightly  appearance.  Mr.  Roberts  proceeded  onward, 
waiting,  however,  just  long  enough  to  see  things  as  they 
were,  and  to  afford  Lewis  time  to  get  ready  for  starting.  Af- 
ter traveling  a  short  distance,  they  stopped  to  eat  their  cold 
breakfast  in  the  woods,  February  though  it  was ;  very  glad 
indeed  that  they  had  escaped  a  night's  misery  in  the  house 
where  Lewis  put  up.  With  adventures  similar  to  these, 
they  continued  their  journey  until  they  reached  Shenango, 
where  they  were  greeted  by  the  father  of  R.  R.  Roberts,  and 
all  the  members  of  the  family,  as  well  as  the  neighbors 
generally. 

However  strange  such  scenes  as  these  may  seem  to  those 
of  our  day,  who  live  in  old  setUed  countries,  especially 
those  who  reside  in  cities,  and  ride  in  easy  carriages,  or 
who  travel  by  stage-coaches,  steamboats  and  railroad  cars ; 
yet  all  who  settle  in  new  countries  view  them  as  common, 
every-day  and  unavoidable  occurrences. 


CHAP.  IV.]  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  77 

On  the  arrival  of  R.  R.  Roberts,  with  his  newly  married 
wife,  in  Shenango,  they  lived  in  the  cabin  in  which  he  and 
his  sister,  Elizabeth,  had  resided,  and  which  had  been  lying 
unoccupied  since  the  preceding  August,  the  time  at  which 
Elizabeth  was  married  to  Mr.  Lindsay.  This  cabin  was 
about  twelve  feet  square.  The  logs  were  small,  and  round 
or  unhewed.  The  door  was  low,  so  that  a  person  of  ordi- 
nary height  had  to  stoop  considerably  in  entering.  It  was 
made  of  clapboards,  and  hung  on  wooden  hinges,  which 
frequently  had  to  be  greased  in  order  to  prevent  screaking. 
It  was  put  together  by  wooden  pins,  there  being  not  even  a 
single  nail  in  it,  nor  in  the  whole  house.  It  was  fastened 
with  a  wooden  latch,  or  rather  a  wooden  pin  on  the 
inside ;  and  with  a  strong  tow  string  on  the  outside,  which 
was  tied  to  a  pin  in  one  of  the  logs,  \vhen  the  inmates 
went  into  the  fields,  or  from  home.  In  the  place  of  a 
window,  there  was  a  hole  between  two  logs,  near  the  fire 
place,  which  gave  them  sufficient  light  to  eat  by.  It  was 
closed  when  necessary  with  a  little  board  fitted  to  its  size, 
and  fastened  with  wooden  pegs,  or  small  pins ;  and  Avhen 
the  weather  was  very  cold,  it  was  stufl'ed  with  some  old 
garments.  Mostly,  however,  neither  the  closing  nor  stuf- 
fing was  considered  of  any  importance.  An  occasional 
puft'  of  cold  fresh  air  was  deemed  no  annoyance,  as  they 
thought  none  but  mere  invalids,  or  the  fastidiously  nice, 
would  object  to  any  such  imaginary  inconvenience.  The 
chimney  was  a  wooden  frame  at  the  end  of  the  house.  A 
few  of  the  under  logs  were  cut  out  about  six  feet  wide,  to 
make  an  opening  both  for  the  chimney  and  hearth.  The 
frame  was  raised  first  to  the  height  of  the  opening,  and  then 
to  the  comb,  with  cat  and  clay,  or  clay  mortar  mixed  with 
chopped  grass,  and  short  pieces  of  split  oak  laths,  about 
two  feet  long,  crossing  so  as  to  form  a  square  or  oblong 
chimney.  The  mortar  was  placed  between  the  pieces  of 
wood,  and  the  inside  and  outside  were  also  well  plastered 


78  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  [CHAP.  IV. 

with  the  same,  so  that  the  chimney,  when  finished,  had 
externally  the  appearance  of  one  unbroken  stone,  or  muddy 
colored  brick,  which  appearance  it  retained  until  the  rain 
■washed  the  mortar  away.  The  inside  of  the  chimney,  up  to 
the  cat  and  clay  part,  was  lined  'vith  stones  laid  in  mud  mortar 
or  with  large  flags  standing  perpendicularly.  This  work  is 
frequently  performed  so  carelessly,  that  the  fire  often  reaches 
the  wood ;  and  holes  are  made  large  enough  for  animals  the 
size  of  a  dog  to  pass  through,  which,  with  careless  tenants, 
remain  sometimes  unstopped  for  years.  The  floor  was  of 
puncheons  well  smoothed  and  tighfly  jointed,  so  as  to  form 
an  even  surface.  The  hearth  was  of  rude  freestone,  fitted 
in  without  the  convenience  of  a  stone-hammer,  or  any  other 
requisite  instrument,  except  that  some  of  the  very  irregular 
corners  were  knocked  off  by  the  axe,  when  a  very  large 
hole  would  be  the  result  in  some  untouched  part  of  the  stone. 
The  crevices  between  the  logs  were  filled  up  with  chunks 
of  wood  in  the  inside,  and  plastered  with  clay  mortar  on 
the  outside.  The  loft  was  supported  with  round  peeled 
poles,  laid  over  with  small  chesnut  poles,  each  peeled  and 
split  in  two,  and  the  flat  side  laid  under  on  the  joist 
poles.  The  crevices  between  were  filled  with  chesnut- 
bark,  or  thin  pieces  of  wood,  to  prevent  the  clay  from 
falling  through,  which  was  laid  over  the  whole  so  as  to  form 
an  even  surface  with  the  highest  parts  of  the  poles.  The 
roof  was  supported  by  rows  of  poles  at  proper  distances, 
covered  with  clapboards,  which  were  kept  in  their  places 
by  other  corresponding  rows  of  poles,  laid  over  the  clap- 
boai-ds,  so  that  the  wind  could  not  move  them,  the  under 
row  of  poles  being  called  ribs,  and  the  upper  weight  poles. 
The  latter  are  kept  in  place  by  blocks  of  wood  called  knees, 
braced  by  a  button  pole,  which  rested  on  the  eve-bearers. 
These  terms  are  peculiar  to  the  cabin  system,  and  are 
familiar  to  all  who  build  and  occupy  these  habitations.  As 
a  matter  of  course  these  roofs  leak.    The  leaking,  however, 


CHAP.  IV.3  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  81 

varies,  as  the  boards  are  well  or  ill  laid,  or  as  the  wind 
more  or  less  displaces  them,  or  as  time  rots  their  edges  and 
outward  ends.  Or  should  none  of  these  defects  exist,  in 
high  winds  and  rains,  water  will  beat  in  between  the  crevices 
of  the  boards  ;  and  in  very  heavy  showers,  it  will  rim  over 
their  edges,  where  they  are  not  entirely  level,  or  where  the 
joints  are  not  properly  broken. 

The  furniture  of  the  cabin  next  calls  for  a  brief  notice. 
This  consisted  of  a  puncheon  table,  supported  by  four 
wooden  legs  of  rude  workmanship,  and  inserted  in  the 
table  by  holes  made  with  an  auger.  The  axe,  the  saw,  the 
auger  and  perhaps  the  drawing-knife,  were  the  only  instru- 
ments used  in  making  not  only  the  table,  but  the  other 
articles  of  furniture  also.  Rough  stools  served  for  chairs. 
The  bedstead  was  composed  of  a  clapboard  bottom,  placed 
on  two  parallel  sticks,  or  bed-sides ;  and  these  were  sup- 
ported by  crotchets  or  forks,  which  served  the  purpose  of 
bed  posts.  The  bedstead  had  no  end  boards,  the  clapboards 
rendering  them  unnecessary.  A  smaller  fixture,  which 
served  the  place  of  a  second  bedstead,  large  enough  to  hold 
one  person,  was  placed  in  another  corner.  A  pot  and  bake- 
oven  were  the  principal  parts  o  the  cooking  apparatus. 
Other  liule  conveniences  of  a  similar  description,  completed 
the  original  furniture  of  Robert  R.  Roberts.  There  were 
neither  bureaus,  chests,  trunks,  cupboards  nor  any  thing 
of  the  kind  within  his  cabin.  There  was,  however,  a 
shelf  or  two,  of  thin  puncheons  or  broad  clapboards,  upheld 
by  wooden  pins,  stuck  in  auger  holes  bored  in  the  logs, 
which  served  an  excellent  purpose,  several  little  articles 
being  placed  on  them  which  were  occasionally  used. 
Wooden  pins,  too,  were  plentifully  stuck  in  the  logs  at 
convenient  distances,  on  which  were  hung  the  various  gar- 
ments not  in  immediate  or  daily  use.  Nor  must  we  forget 
the  gun  rack,  which  was  always  placed  over  the  door;  and 
consisted  of  two  little  hooked  pieces  of  wood,]_or  forked 


82  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  [cHAP.  IV. 

branches,  or  eagle's  claws,  attached  to  the  walls,  in  various 
ways  to  suit  the  different  tastes  of  the  proprietors.  It  was 
placed  above  the  door  that  it  might  be  out  of  the  reach  of 
children,  and  also  easy  of  access  in  case  the  Indians  or 
some  game  unexpectedly  made  their  appearance.  A  small 
peeled  pole,  suspended  by  strings  from  the  joist  which  was 
second  in  order  from  the  chimney,  was  also  an  indispensable 
fixture;  as  on  this  the  pumpkin  sHces  were  hung  in  deco- 
rous ringlets  until  thoroughly  dry,  and  thus  preserved  for 
future  use ;  on  it,  too,  wet  clothes  were  dried  in  rainy 
weather. 

The  provisions  of  the  cabin  consisted  principally  of 
potatoes,  pumpkins,  turnips,  hommony  and  corn  meal.  The 
last  mentioned  article,  during  the  few  first  years,  before 
mills  were  erected,  was  made  by  being  pounded  in  a  hom- 
mony trough.  The  first  wheat  that  was  raised  was  ground 
in  a  hand-mill,  and  used  without  bolting  or  sifting.  The 
meat  was  venison  or  racoons.  The  best  racoon  hams  were 
first  frosted  and  then  smoked;  both  of  which  processes,  as 
already  stated,  very  much  improved  their  flavor.  The 
venison  hams  were  dried,  and  not  unfrequcntly  smoked; 
while  the  fat  parts  of  the  deer  were  eaten  when  fresh,  or  were 
corned ;  and,  moreover,  sometimes  very  savory  food  was 
prepared  from  the  lean  parts  by  "jerking"  them — a  process 
which  consists  of  first  cutting  into  thin  slices,  and  then 
thoroughly  drying. 

When  Robert  R.  Roberts  had  get  fairly  settled  in  his 
cabin  after  his  marriage,  he  and  his  elder  sister,  Sarah,  took 
a  journey  to  Ligonier  in  May;  and  on  their  return  brought 
two  cows  with  them.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  jour- 
ney they  camped  out  at  night.  In  some  places,  there  were 
no  houses ;  while,  in  others,  the  houses  were  so  far  apart 
that  they  could  not  regulate  their  stages  so  as  to  stop  at  them, 
ten  miles  a  day  being  as  much  as  they  could  travel,  having 
to  drive  the  cows,  and  give  them  time  to  graze  and  rest. 


CHAP.  IV.]  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  83 

During  the  summer  of  1799,  he  acted  as  class-leader, 
though  with  much  reluctance,  as  he  deemed  himself  inad- 
equate to  the  task.  He  thought  that  James  Stevenson,  sen., 
or  John  Caughey,  could  fill  the  station  much  better  thaa  lie. 
Others,  however,  thought  differently ;  and  he  was,  thougli 
not  without  some  protestations  against  it  on  his  part,  still 
induced  to  hold  the  office.  It  was,  furthermore,  a  general 
opinion  that  he  ought  to  preach  the  Gospel,  in  view  of  his 
acknowledged  talents,  his  excellent  Christian  character,  and 
the  great  prudence  and  other  ministerial  qualifications 
which  he  seemed  so  eminently  even  then  to  possess. 

The  approach  of  winter  opened  the  hunting  for  the  sea- 
son. In  those  days  it  formed  the  winter  occupation  of  all 
who  had  sufficient  skill  to  enable  them  to  pursue  it  with 
profit.  In  September,  racoon  hunting  began,  which  con- 
tinued for  sometime,  and  was  succeeded  by  deer  hunting. 
R.  R.  Roberts,  with  others,  pursued  this  employment  with 
great  alacrity.  Sometimes  it  was  followed  at  the  risk,  not 
only  of  comfort  and  health,  but  also  of  life. 

Of  the  perils  of  hunting,  we  give  only  one  more  in- 
stance at  this  time.  At  the  close  of  winter,  in  1800,  Rob- 
ert R.  Roberts,  one  evening  about  dark,  passed  by  Mr. 
Jolly,  who  was  in  his  yard,  and  entered  his  house  without 
speaking,  and  then  lay  down  on  the  floor  before  the  fire. 
This  house  was  two  miles  distant  from  Mr.  Roberts'.  Mr. 
Jolly  was  surprised  at  Mr.  Roberts  passing  him  without 
speaking,  especially  as  he  was  always  very  courteous,  and 
ever  ready  to  exchange  all  the  civilities  of  life.  This 
unusual  conduct  led  Mr.  Jolly  to  follow  him  into  the 
house  for  the  purpose  of  knowing  the  cause.  He  found 
him  unable  to  utter  a  word,  and  was,  therefore,  additionally 
surprised.  He  soon  ascertained,  however,  that  he  was 
very  sick.  Mrs.  Jolly  furnished  all  the  cordials  she  had 
within  reach.  Having  some  ginger,  she  made  it  into  tea, 
and  gave  him  some,  which  manifestly  relieved  him  Mr. 


84  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  [cHAP.  IV. 

Jolly  rubbed  his  arms,  legs  and  body,  which  proved  an 
additional  relief.  By  these  and  other  kind  attentions,  about 
midnight  he  was  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  speak. 
He  .then  informed  them  that  he  had  pursued  a  deer  all  day 
with  his  dog,  Caesar,  through  the  snow,  which  was  just 
deep  enough  to  tire  a  footman,  but  not  so  deep  as  to  impede 
materially  the  progress  of  the  deer.  About  sun-down  he 
felt  himself  exhausted,  and  made  for  the  nearest  habitation. 
With  the  utmost  difficulty  lie  was  enabled  to  reach  their 
residence.  Had  the  house  been  anotlier  mile,  or  even  half 
a  mile  further,  it  is  probable  he  would  have  fallen  down  ex- 
hausted, and  been  frozen  to  death  before  morning.  This 
instance  shows  the  enticing  nature  of  the  chase.  Under 
its  influence  the  hunter  is  led  to  follow  the  wounded  deer 
hour  after  hour,  in  constant  expectation  of  reaching  his 
prey ;  but  linally  he  becomes  exhausted,  and  leaves  off  the 
pursuit,  retiring  to  his  home,  or  tlie  nearest  habitation ;  or 
else,  encamping  in  tlie  woods,  is  probably  frozen  to  death, 
or,  if  alive,  in  the  morning  retreats  with  exhausted  strength. 

Early  in  the  spring,  or  rather  just  at  the  close  of  winter, 
sugar  making  becomes  the  business  of  the  season.  Du- 
ring this  period,  Robert  R.  Roberts  engaged  in  it,  assisted 
by  his  wife,  liis  sister,  Nancy,  afterward  Mrs.  M'Granahan, 
and  his  little  nephew,  .lolin,  accompanied,  as  he  always  was 
on  such  occasions,  with  his  dog,  Yuno.  Tlie  camp  was 
north  of  the  Little  Slienango,  where  the  road  now  crosses 
the  stream  by  a  bridge,  a  short  distance  above  the  residence 
of  Win.  Leech,  and  about  a  mile  from  the  Methodist  meet- 
ing-house, Tiie  creek  there  runs  close  to  the  high  ground 
on  the  south.  The  camp  lay  north  of  the  creek,  stretching 
in  that  direction  about  hall  a  mile,  where  it  met  high 
land.  The  ground  is  somewhat  elevated  at  the  creek, 
where  the  camp  at  whicli  they  boiled  the  water  was  built, 
and  is  within  a  few  rods  of  the  present  bridge.  The  sugar 
camp  ground  north  of  the  camp  and  creek  is  much  lower 


CHAP.  IV.J 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


85 


than  the  camp  itself,  and  is  intersected  with  the  channels 
of  former  runs  and  brooks.  There  was  much  snow  on  the 
ground  when  they  commenced  boiling.  The  water  during 
the  day  ran  freely,  and  they  concluded  to  continue  boiling 
all  night,  in  order  to  preserve  the  sugar  water.  Shordy 
after  dark  it  began  to  rain  very  hard:  the  snow,  too,  during 
the  day  had  nearly  all  melted ;  and  the  consequence  was 
that  the  Little  Shenango  rose  very  rapidly  and  spread  over 
the  bottom,  leaving  between  them  and  their  home  to  the 
north  a  sea  of  water,  which,  with  the  intersecting  chan- 
nels, rendered  it  impassable  in  the  night,  and  even  in  the 
day  time,  without  resorting  to  swimming  over  the  channels, 
or  bridging  them  with  trees.  The  main  creek  itself  was 
immediately  south  of  this  vast  body  of  water,  and  could 
not  be  crossed  by  any  means  within  their  reach.  The 
night  was  dark ;  and  the  water  rose  so  fast  that  it  soon  sur- 
rounded the  camp.  The  weather  likewise  became  cold  to- 
ward morning.  To  save  the  fire,  it  was  transferred  to  the 
large  sugar  trough,  the  reservoir  for  the  sugar  water,  and 
placed  upon  some  wood  in  the  bottom.  Next,  they  all  got 
on  a  large  fallen  tree,  which  was  somewhat  elevated  above 
the  water,  and  on  which  they  could  walk  backward  and 
forward  some  distance,  as  it  had  a  smootli  trunk.  This 
they  constandy  did  to  keep  themselves  warm.  They  also 
floated  the  trough  containing  the  fire,  along  side  the  tree  of 
refuge,  so  as  to  obtain  all  the  warmth  from  it  they  could. 
After  a  while,  however,  the  bottom  of  the  trough,  and  that 
part  of  each  side  which  was  contiguous  to  the  fire,  burned 
through,  so  that  they  were  forced  to  pace  with  increased 
speed  the  trunk  of  the  tree  during  the  remainder  of  the 
night,  in  order  to  preserve  as  much  warmth  as  possible, 
drenched  as  they  were  with  the  cold  rain  and  then  stiffened 
with  frost.  When  day-light  came,  the  road  they  had  to 
go  lor  half  a  mile  toward  home,  presented  itself  as  a  sea, 
abounding,  as  before  remarked,  with  a  number  of  deep 


86 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


[chap,  IV. 


channels.  Their  mode  of  escape  was  the  following.  Robert 
R.  carried  his  little  nephew,  John,  on  his  back,  probing  the 
way  before  him  till  he  came  to  one  of  the  channels.  He 
then  placed  the  little  boy  on  a  log  or  limb  of  a  tree,  until, 
with  his  axe,  he  cut  down  an  entire  tree,  caxising  it  to  fall 
across  the  channel.  He  next  conducted  his  wife  and  sister 
over,  taking  them  by  the  hand  as  they  went  over  the  log 
bridge,  and  wading  with  them  in  the  spaces  between  the 
channels  up  to  their  middle  in  water.  After  constructing  a 
number  of  similar  temporary  bridges,  and  proceeding  in 
the  manner  just  described,  they  got  on  the  high  ground  and 
soon  reached  home.  The  little  dog,  Yuno,  however,  kept 
his  position  on  the  large  log  till  the  water  had  so  far  subsided 
that  his  master  could  approach  him ;  and  thus  he  was  saved 
from  a  watery  grave. 

We  have  no  specimens  of  his  early  compositions,  except 
some  poetical  effusions.  Indeed  composition,  as  an  impor- 
tant branch  of  instruction,  does  not  appear  to  have  formed 
any  part  of  his  education:  nor  does  it  appear  to  have 
received  much  attention,  in  those  times,  from  any  who  had 
no  more  tuition  than  he.  Still  he  amused  himself  some- 
times by  making  poetry,  in  which  art  he  might  probably 
have  excelled,  or  at  least  become  a  medium  author,  had  he 
cultivated  it.  At  an  early  date,  perhaps  in  the  winter  of 
1797-8,  he  wrote  a  poetic  essay  to  Jacob  Cavodc,  the 
theme  of  which  was  religion,  and  the  particular  point  dwelt 
upon,  the  doctrines  of  Calvinism.  A  copy  of  this  is  in  our 
possession ;  but  it  would  be  of  no  special  use  to  publish  it. 
We  will  give,  however,  a  specimen  of  his  poetical  genius. 
He  'and  the  Rev.  Thomas  M'Cleiland,  were  on  very  familiar 
terms  of  intercourse,  and  tliey  appear  to  have  exercised 
themselves,  among  other  sallies  of  wit,  in  giving  and 
answering  puzzles  in  poetry.  The  following  enigma,  was 
composed  in  March,  1800,  by  R.  R.  Roberts,  and  addressed 
to  his  friend,  M'Cleiland.    Though  it  will  not  bear  a  most 


CHAP.  IV.3  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


87 


rigid  criticism,  it  at  least  will  go  to  confirm  the  opinion 
just  expressed,  that  if  he  had  cultivated  the  art  he  would 
doubtless  have  succeeded  in  some  degree  as  a  poet. 
"  The  earth  is  full  of  wonders  :  I  am  one: 
Though  animated  nature  I  have  none ; 
Yet  life  I  have,  which  you  may  plainly  see, 
When  in  the  verdant  spring  you  look  at  me. 
Sometimes  in  lonely  forests  I  am  seen — 
Sometimes  in  fields  and  in  the  meadows  green  : 
The  place  in  which  I  love  most  to  reside, 
Is  a  rich  bottom,  by  some  river  side. 
In  me  the  farmer  greatly  doth  delight, 
Attending  on  me  both  by  day  and  night. 
I  greatly  please  his  palate  and  his  taste  : 
My  form  is  high,  and  graceful  is  my  waist.  t 
When  on  my  head  a  covering  I  wear. 
All  clothed  in  green,  'tis  then  that  I  appear. 
I'm  oft  made  use  of  even  for  many  things 
And  most  when  spring  her  glorious  beauty  bringrs. 
In  short,  abundant  wants  I  do  supply  : 
Now  if  you  can,  tell  who  or  what  am  I." 

From  the  relation  in  which  he  stood  to  his  father's  family, 
the  care  of  it  principally  devolved  upon  him.  Hence,  the 
greater  part  of  them  were  not  agreed  that  he  should  become 
a  traveling  preacher. 

In  consequence  of  his  piety  and  acknowledged  superior 
talents,  he  was  by  common  consent,  designated  for  the  min- 
istry. He  was  peculiarly  retiring  in  his  habits,  and  rather 
shunned  than  courted  any  thing  that  would  lead  to  an  open 
expression  of  his  sentiments  on  this  subject.  Indeed,  he 
seemed  to  shrink  from  tlie  responsibility  of  the  ministry 
under  a  sense  of  his  want  of  due  qualifications.  His  relig- 
ious experience  and  conduct  entirely  comported  with  his 
profession,  so  as  to  secure  the  unlimited  confidence  of  his 
Christian  brethren,  as  well  as  those  who  were  not  members 
of  the  Church.  While  he  resided  at  Shenango,  before  he 
became  a  traveling  preacher,  the  same  good  Christian  con- 
duct was  manifest  in  him,  as  when  he  resided  at  Ligonier. 


88 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


I^CHAP.  IV. 


Many  times,  he  was  solicited  by  his  Christian  friends,  to 
exercise  in  public ;  but  for  a  long  time  declined.  Before 
his  marriage,  and  while  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  resided  with 
him,  he  was  very  much  exercised  on  the  subject  of  preach- 
ing. He  would  frequently  leave  his  work,  sometimes  even 
his  horses  standing  at  the  plough,  and  go  into  the  solitary 
woods,  which  were  contiguous,  mount  a  log  or  stump,  and 
address  the  trees  as  a  congregation  of  hearers,  going  through 
the  different  parts  of  his  discourse,  and  exercising  his  voice 
with  as  much  elocutionary  skill  as  he  was  master  of.  Often 
did  his  sister  find  him  in  this  kind  of  exercise ;  and  in  it  he 
was  considerably  schooled  before  he  could  be  persuaded  to 
address  a  congregation,  even  in  exhortation.  At  first  she 
was  averse  to  his  becoming  an  itinerant  preacher,  as  the 
wants  of  the  other  members  of  the  family  called  for  his 
assistance.  When,  however,  she  saw  how  deeply  he  was 
aff"ected  and  how  greatly  he  was  exercised  on  the  subject, 
she  frequently  and  earnestly  urged  him  to  do  his  duty. 

Some  individuals  have  supposed  that  his  marriage  was 
hastened,  so  as  to  relieve  him  from  the  responsibilities  of  the 
itinerant  ministry.  For  only  a  few  of  the  itinerants  of  that 
age  were  married  men  ;  and  those  who  were,  had  very  little 
provision  for  their  families.  After  he  had  entered  into 
matrimonial  bonds,  which,  as  before  stated,  was  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty,  it  is  not  marvelous  that  the  itinerant  field 
was  rather  a  discouraging  prospect  to  him,  as  his  pecu- 
niary resources  were  but  slender,  his  property  consisting  of 
nothing  more  than  a  piece  of  partially  improved  land  of 
very  little  value.  Nevertheless,  his  convictions  of  duty 
remained  as  strong  after  marriage,  as  they  were  before.  He 
was  still  distressed  in  his  mind,  and  often  he  cried  out, 
«'  Woe !  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel." 

In  this  condition  his  spirits  sometimes  became  so  de- 
pressed, that,  as  already  mentioned,  he  could  do  little  or  no 
work.    Frequently  after  digging  up  a  few  grubs,  or  cutting 


CHAP.  IV.3 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


89 


down  a  tree  or  two,  he  would  sit  down  and  reflect  on  his 
situation  the  remainder  of  the  day.  At  other  times,  while 
his  horses  were  left  standing  for  a  long  time  in  the  plough, 
he  would  be  seated  on  the  beam  musing  on  ministerial  and 
other  sacred  things,  or  praying  in  the  corner  of  the  fence, 
or  exercising  in  preaching.  These  circumstances  led  some 
people  to  conclude  that  he  was  indolent.  But  the  fact 
was,  he  refused  to  fulfill  his  obligations  to  God,  and  his 
mind  could  not  rest  satisfied  with  doing  what  was  not  his 
proper  work.  Sometimes,  however,  he  would  make  up  his 
mind  to  attempt  the  performance  of  his  duty ;  and  then  his 
enjoyments  would  return,  and  he  could  attend  to  his  daily 
occupation  with  ease  and  regularity.  But  when  his  thoughts 
would  recur  to  his  want  of  talents,  his  youth,  and  his  inex- 
perience, together  with  the  privations  and  trials  of  an 
itinerant  Methodist  preacher,  his  spirits  would  sink  and  he 
would  refuse  to  obey  the  sacred  call.  Then  darkness  of 
mind  and  dejection  of  heart  would  again  overwhelm  him, 
so  as  to  unfit  him  for  business.  As  he  kept  these  feelings 
entirely  within  his  own  breast  for  a  long  time,  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  those  who  knew  not  his  real  condition, 
should  misinterpret  his  case. 

It  is  proper  here  to  remark,  that  in  consequence  of  his 
resisting  the  calls  to  preach  the  Gospel,  he  was  signally 
unsuccessful  in  all  the  worldly  pursuits  in  which  he  engaged. 
This  was  remarked  to  the  writer,  by  his  wife  and  sister, 
Nancy,  as  being  clearly  indicated  in  all  his  undertakings 
after  it  was  manifest  that  duty  required  him  to  assume  the 
ministerial  office.  Nor  was  it  noticed  by  his  friends  alone  ; 
it  became  very  evident  to  himself.  Under  the  influence  of 
this  consideration,  in  connection  with  others  of  a  weightier 
kind,  he  at  last  gave  his  consent  to  do  his  best  in  discharg- 
ing what  he  believed  to  be  his  solemn  and  imperative  duty. 

There  seems  to  us,  a  happy  medium  between  the  course 
of  R.  R.  Roberts  and  that  of  many  others.  He  delayed 
8^ 


90  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  [cHAP.  IV. 

to  enter  on  this  great  work  after  he  saw  it  was  his  duty  to 
commence  it.  Others  enter  upon  it  hastily,  either  before 
they  are  called,  or  before  they  are  fully  certain  of  their  call. 
The  golden  mean  is  to  go  ivlien  sent;  but  not  to  go  until 
sent.  The  conviction  may  rest  deep  in  the  mind  of  some 
that  it  will  be  their  duty  to  enter  the  sacred  office  after  a 
particular  time.  For  such  to  delay  until  they  are  furnished 
with  those  preparations  that  are  reasonable  and  that  the 
nature  of  the  pastoral  office  demands,  all  men  of  candor 
will  say,  is  an  act  of  wisdom  and  consistency. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  1800,  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Thomas  Richford,  died,  after  an  illness  of  four 
weeks.  Nothing  remarkable  is  connected  with  this  event 
worthy  of  mention,  except  the  dutiful  regard  paid  to  him 
by  all  the  members  of  the  Roberts  family,  in  providing  for 
his  wants,  and  in  nursing  him  in  the  most  careful  manner. 

According  to  some  accounts,  Robert  R.  Roberts  obtained 
license  to  exhort  from  Rev.  Thornton  Fleming  at  a  quar- 
terly meeting  at  Mumford's,  near  Meadville,  in  the  summer 
of  1800.  If  a  license  was  then  given  him,  he  must  have 
been  licensed,  according  to  the  economy  of  the  Church,  be- 
fore that  time ;  as  licenses  are  not  granted  at  quarterly  meet- 
ings to  exhort:  they  are  only  renewed  on  these  occasions. 
It  is  probable  that  the  preacher  of  the  circuit,  without  any 
application  from  him,  gave  the  license,  he,  however,  making 
no  use  of  it,  and  that  this  license  was  renewed,  in  common 
with  others,  by  Mr.  Fleming,  at  the  time  referred  to.  At 
any  rate  it  is  certain  that  no  use  was  made  of  the  license, 
and  that  the  grant  of  it  was  intended  to  urge  him  to  do 
what  all  believed  was  his  duty.  A  conversation  occurred 
between  Bishop  Roberts,  T.  Fleming,  and  11.  B.  Bascom, 
in  Mr.  M'Granahan's  tent,  at  the  Pittsburg  conference 
camp  meeting  in  1828,  the  purport  of  which  was  that 
Mr.  Fleming  had  licensed  hini. 

On  Friday,  28th  of  February,  1801,  Robert  Morgan 


CHAP.  IV.] 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


91 


Roberts,  father  of  Robert  R.,  died  in  great  peace  at  She- 
nango.  On  the  night  before  his  death,  he  remarked  that  he 
would  die  on  the  following  night.  He  informed  his  friends 
then  present  that  they  might  go  home  and  return  the  next 
night,  as  that  would  be  the  time  of  his  departure.  On  the 
next  day,  none  but  his  daughters,  Sarah  and  Elizabeth, 
were  with  him.  In  the  morning,  he  desired  Robert  and 
Nancy  not  to  leave  him ;  but,  thinking  his  expressed  per- 
suasion about  dying  of  no  consequence,  and  not  considering 
him  dangerous,  they  went  out  to  make  sugar.  According 
to  his  prediction,  however,  he  expired  that  night  at  10 
o'clock,  his  daughters,  Elizabeth  and  Sarah,  only  being  with 
him.  He  was  a  meek  and  pious  man ;  and  lived  and  died 
a  devoted  Christian. 

As  we  have  already  remarked,  M'Clelland,  the  local 
preacher,  was  probably  the  first  person  that  gravely  and 
pointedly  conversed  with  R.  R.  Roberts  on  the  subject  of 
preaching.  He  told  him  that  it  was  his  duty  to  break 
through  all  the  hindrances  in  his  way,  without  delaying 
any  longer.  At  a  meeting  held  at  Rev.  Jacob  Gurwell's, 
on  Christmas  day,  1801,  Mr.  M'Clelland,  after  having 
preached,  requested  him  publicly  to  conclude  the  services 
with  an  exhortation.  This  so  much  frightened  and  discon- 
certed him  that  he  retired  from  the  house  to  the  barn.  That 
morning  he  had  killed  four  turkeys  and  taken  them  to  his 
cabin,  after  which  he  told  his  wife  it  was  time  to  go  to  the 
meeting.  Accordingly  they  went.  This  circumstance  was 
related  to  me  by  Mrs.  Roberts  herself.  Perhaps  his  mind 
had  been  too  much  occupied  in  the  morning  to  engage  with- 
out previous  notice  in  the  work  of  exhortation.  At  all 
events  he  declined,  by  retiring  as  silently  as  he  could  to  the 
place  just  mentioned,  and  thus  got  out  of  the  way  of  the 
zealous  and  importunate  preacher.  His  backwardness  led 
M'Clelland  to  hand  him  the  subjoined  communication, 
which  was  composed  shortly  after  the  occurrence,  and  had 


02  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  [cHAP.  IV. 

neither  date  nor  signature  to  it.  It  purports  to  be  a  dream, 
but  was  only  written  in  the  form  of  one.  It  is  a  very  sen- 
sible document,  clearly  and  forcibly  drawn  up  and  well 
adapted  to  meet  the  various  objections  of  Mr.  Roberts.  As 
might  be  expected,  it  made  a  powerful  impression  on  his 
mind,  so  much  so  that  he  was  led  immediately  to  conclude 
that  he  would  endeavor  to  discharge  his  duty  without  further 
delay.  The  following  is  the  very  appropriate  reasoning  of 
the  communication.  It  was  given  to  him,  as  already  stated, 
a  short  time  after  the  Christmas  of  1801 : 

"My  Very  Dear  Brother, — May  grace,  mercy  and 
peace  be  multiplied  unto  you,  and  may  Gospel  benefits  be 
your  portion  in  time  and  in  eternity. 

"  The  reason  why  I  trouble  you  with  these  few  lines,  is 
to  apologize  for  my  recent  behavior  to  you  in  public,  which, 
I  confess,  was  not  strictly  right,  though  well  meant.  Par- 
don my  rashness  and  Irish  bluntness,  as  manifested  to  you 
at  brother  Gurwell's.  If  you  suffered  at  that  time,  I  was 
sharer  with  you  in  the  bitter  cup.  But  it  is  all  past.  May 
I  learn  wisdom  for  the  time  to  come. 

"  My  body  was  a  little  afflicted  sometime  ago,  but  my 
soul  had  a  comfortable  realizing  view  of  the  eternal  world. 
My  thoughts  being  various,  they  at  length  turned  to  you, 
when  I  had  the  following  dream : 

"  I  thought  I  had  got  free  from  this  region  of  misery  and 
woe,  and  was  admitted  into  the  world  of  spirits,  standing 
awhile  in  the  presence  of  God  and  the  Savior,  and  then 
ranging  the  golden  streets  of  the  eternal  city;  also  greet- 
ing the  blood-besprinkled  band,  and  having  fellowship  with 
the  saints  in  light,  joining  with  them  in  the  song  of  Moses 
and  of  the  Lamb. 

"  My  mind  was  for  sometime  diverted  from  the  sweet 
employment  by  the  following  representation  : 

"  I  thought  I  saw  your  father  in  glorious  apparel,  havmg 
a  crown  of  righteousness  on  his  head,  and  in  his  hands 


CHAP.  IV.3 


CALL  TO  THE  MIMSTRV. 


03 


palms  of  victory,  and  associated  with  another  happy  spirit 
that  I  took  to  be  his  bosom  companion.  I  next  beheld 
bright  thrones,  which  as  far  surpassed  that  of  Solomon  as 
heavenly  things  surpass  those  that  are  earthly.  There  was 
one  in  an  exalted  station,  and  on  it  was  placed  a  crown  daz- 
zling with  brightness  :  it  was  fixed  near  those  of  the  prophets, 
apostles,  martyrs,  and  eminent  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of 
our  Lord.  I  drew  nigh  to  behold  it,  and  Avas  informed  it 
was  for  you. 

"I  thought  the  Savior  commanded  that  you  should  be 
brought  forward  to  see  what  was  here  in  reservation  for 
you.  In  a  short  time  a  seraph  fulfilled  the  high  command, 
and  you  were  placed  in  the  presence  of  the  great  King. 
As  you  came  forward,  I  thought  you  uttered  the  words, 
'Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  the  heart  of  man 
known  the  joys  of  this  happy  place.'  The  Savior  fixed 
his  eyes  upon  you,  which  kindled  in  your  heart  a  burning 
love  to  him,  causing  you  to  neglect  every  thing  else.  I 
thought  he  addressed  you  in  the  language  of  softness  and 
affection,  pointing  at  the  same  time  to  the  throne  and 
crown,  and  saying,  « Come  and  see  what  I  have  prepared 
for  thee.'  Being  strengthened  by  these  gracious  smiles 
and  words,  you  meekly  cried  out, 

'  Tis  mercy  all,  immense  and  free, 
For  O !  my  God,  it  found  out  me.' 
Overcome  by  the  Divine  presence,  you  fell  at  the  glorious 
feet  of  the  Savior,  and  poured  out  a  flood  of  gratitude.  He 
then  gave  you  a  divine  touch,  at  which  you  arose,  and  also 
said  to  you,  '  Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me.  All  this  glory 
shall  be  thine.  It  is  true,  the  happiness  is  great,  and  the 
reward  is  excellent ;  yet  the  way  thereto  is  not  only  diffi- 
cult, but  contrary  to  flesh  and  blood.'  I  thought  you  re- 
plied, '  Make  known  to  me  the  way,  and  in  thy  strength 
will  I  walk  therein.'  He  then  said,  '  Go  quickly  forth 
among  tlie  numerous  crowds  of  earth,  and  let  love  and  pity 


94 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


fcHAP.  IV. 


raise  thy  voice  aloud  to  inform  them  that  I  am  willing  to 
save  the  chief  of  sinners  from  hell  and  a  dreadful  eternity. 
Tell  them  that  they  must  repent,  obtain  pardon,  be  made 
holy,  and  be  thus  prepared  for  this  place  of  endless  joy.' 
I  thought  the  words  rested  on  your  soul  with  the  weight  of 
a  mountain,  and  you  became  pale  and  motionless,  till  at 
length  the  Lord  gave  you  a  second  touch,  and  revived  your 
drooping  spirits.  Being  strengthened,  you  said,  '  Let  it 
not  offend  thee,  and  I,  who  am  but  dust,  will  speak.  I  have 
thought  it  my  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel;  but  I  feel  myself 
all  unfitness  for  such  a  task.'  The  answer  given  was,  '  I, 
who  have  called  thee  to  the  work,  can  qualify  thee  for  it.' 
You  replied,  'That  which  deters  me  most,  is,  I  am  not 
holy  enough  to  stand  before  those  who  out-shine  me  in  real 
piety,  and  to  give  them  instruction.'  The  Savior  then  said, 
'  If  thou  hadst  faithfully  followed  the  teachings  of  my 
Spirit,  thou  wouldst  have  been  holy,  and  mightst  have  been 
useful  to  mankind ;  but  the  lime  past  cannot  be  recalled.' 
To  this  you  replied,  '  If  I  had  gifts  as  many  ministers  have, 
I  think  it  would  be  no  cross  to  me.'  The  command  was 
then  given  you,  '  Improve  what  thou  hast,  and  more  will 
be  imparted.'  At  this  you  said,  '  With  shame  I  acknowl- 
edge that  in  me  pride  remains,  and  I  know  an  honest 
preacher  is  despised  by  many.'  The  answer  was,  '  Read 
that  part  of  the  first  chapter  of  ist  Corinthians,  which  be- 
gins at  the  twenty-sixth  verse.'  You  then  said,  'Let  me 
speak  but  once  more.  I  have  brothers  and  friends  that 
sometimes  criticise ;  and  before  them  I  have  not  courage  to 
speak.'  The  answer  to  this  was,  '  Such  of  them  as  love 
me  will  greatly  rejoice  that  thou  doest  my  will;  and  such 
as  are  not  in  the  way  to  heaven,  let  love  constrain  thee  to 
warn  of  their  danger.  Remember  what  he  said  who  lifted 
up  his  eyes  in  torment,  "I  have  five  brethren !"  Let  the 
thought  come  home  to  thy  heart.  Warn  them  honestly. 
It  may  be  they  will  hear  thy  words.    But,  remember,  if 


95  CALL  TO  THE  MUJlSTRy.  [cHAP.  IV 

thou  dost  not  follow  me  in  the  way  I  mark  out,  thou  shall 
have  in  the  lower  world  crosses  and  disappointments,  hard- 
ness of  heart  and  few  consolations,  and  if  by  my  aid,  thou 
dost  at  last  reach  this  blessed  place,  it  will  be  through  the 
fire,  and  thou  shalt  suffer  loss.  But  if  thou  takest  up  this 
cross,  and  dost  follow  me,  doing  my  work,  thou  shalt  be 
gainer  in  time,  and  shall  reap  immortal  joy  throughout 
eternity.' 

"  After  this  you  were  conducted  back  whence  you  came. 
I  thought  you  moved  heavily  along,  and,  after  a  deep  sigh, 
uttered  these  words :  '  Woe  is  me,  if  I  preach  not  the 
Gospel.'  The  distress  I  felt  on  your  account  awoke  me, 
and  put  an  end  to  my  dream." 

In  the  spring  of  1801,  Joseph  Shane,  a  young  man  of 
Baltimore,  was  sent  to  Shenango  circuit,  from  the  Baltimore 
conference.  There  had  been  a  circuit  of  that  name  the 
year  previous,  but  it  did  not  embrace  the  neighborhood 
where  R.  R.  Roberts  resided.  James  Quinn  was  on  the 
circuit  north,  called  Erie.  He  and  Mr.  Shane  exchanged 
labors  with  each  other,  and  had  much  success.  They  held 
a  watch-night  sometime  in  the  summer,  at  James  Steven- 
son's, sen.,  who  lived,  as  before  stated,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Mr.  Roberts.  On  this  occasion,  Mr.  Shane  had  to 
preach  first.  Mr.  Quinn  went  to  Mr.  Roberts,  and  said  to 
him,  "  When  brother  Shane  has  done  preaching,  I  want 
you  to  exhort,  and  then  I  shall  follow  with  another  sermon." 
He  made  litde  or  no  reply,  but  did  not,  however,  promise. 
Mr.  Shane  took  for  his  text,  "  Wisdom  is  the  principal 
thing,"  (fee.  In  the  sermon  he  did  not  appear  to  enjoy 
much  liberty.  Mr.  Roberts  sat  near  liim,  to  whom, 
when  the  preacher  was  done,  the  hymn-book  was  handed. 
His  mind  was  considerably  engaged  during  the  sermon, 
and  clear  views  of  truth  seemed  to  open  before  him.  He 
thought  he  might  as  well  make  the  attempt;  and  accordingly 
spoke  about  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  and  that  with  great 


96 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 


[cHAP.'lV. 


freedom  to  himself,  the  congregation  also  being  much 
affected.  Toward  the  close,  however,  supposing  he  had 
committed  some  mistake,  he  became  a  little  confused,  and 
finished  as  soon  as  he  could.  Mr.  Quinn,  as  was  usual 
with  him,  delivered  a  very  profitable  sermon,  and  a  fine  effect 
was  produced  on  the  assembly.  Next  morning  a  young 
man  who  lived  with  Mr.  Roberts,  observed  somewhat 
pleasantly  to  him,  "  Brother  Roberts,  I  thought  you  were 
going  to  preach  brother  Shane's  sermon  over  again."  This 
mortified  him  very  much  ;  as  he  did  not  suppose  any  person 
would  imagine  that  he  had  been  induced  by  vanity  to  aim 
at  making  a  display.  He  himself  knew  that  this  was  not 
the  case,  and  he  thought  if  he  could  do  as  well  as  the  poorest 
preacher  he  had  ever  heard  he  would  be  entirely  satisfied. 

After  this,  he  was  frequently  solicited  to  exliort,  but 
always  declined,  until  he  again  became  very  unhappy  and 
uneasy  in  his  mind.  At  length,  however,  he  determined  to 
make  an  attempt  to  preach,  let  the  event  be  what  it  might, 
though  he  feared  greatly  that  he  would  fail.  His  desire  to 
obtain  license  was  made  known  to  the  society,  by  the 
preacher;  but  before  they  could  recommend  him,  it  was 
necessary  they  should  hear  him  preach.  This,  to  him,  was 
a  severe  cross,  but  he  endeavored  to  bear  it.  His  tc.\t  was, 
"  O  Lord,  revive  thy  work."  The  society  on  hearing  him, 
recommended  him  to  the  quarterly  conference,  as  a  proper 
person  to  obtain  license.  This,  his  first  sermon,  was 
preached  at  James  Stevenson's,  late  in  the  winter  or  early 
in  the  spring  of  1802.  He  preached  two  or  three  times  in 
the  neighborhood  afterward.  As  the  quarterly  meeting  of 
his  own  circuit  was  over,  the  preacher  directed  him  to  go 
to  Holme's  meeting-house, West  Wheeling  circuit,  in  order 
to  obtain  license  there;  or  to  Doddridge's  meeting-house, 
Ohio  circuit.  Rev.  Thornton  Fleming  then  being  presiding 
elder. 

The  foregoing  is  mainly  the  Bishop's  own  account  of 


CHAP.  IV.]  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  97 

his  first  public  exercises,  from  which  it  appears  that  he  had 
very  humble  views  of  his  own  performances,  though  others 
entertained  views  entirely  different. 

He  proceeded,  according  to  directions,  to  Holmes'  meet- 
ing-house, on  Short  Creek,  Avhere  his  case  was  brought 
forward.  They  had  some  debating  respecting  him,  but  he 
got  license  by  a  small  majority.  He  was  at  the  same  time 
recommended  to  travel;  for  he  now  determined  fully  to 
proceed  in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He,  moreover, 
thought  if  he  could  be  removed  to  a  distance  from  his 
friends,  he  would  have  more  liberty  in  preaching.  From 
Short  Creek,  Ohio,  he  went  to  Doddridge's  meeting-house, 
in  Spah's  neighborhood,  Virginia,  for  the  purpose  of  hear- 
ing the  presiding  elder,  Rev.  T.  Fleming,  preach.  But  as 
the  presiding  elder  did  not  arrive  at  the  time,  it  fell  to  his 
lot  to  address  the  congregation,  he  being  the  only  preacher 
present.  The  cross  to  him  was  great,  as  he  expected 
every  moment  the  presiding  elder  would  enter  the  house. 

There  is  a  slight  discrepancy  between  the  foregoing 
account  and  one  that  follows  furnished  by  Rev.  James 
Quinn.  Brother  Quinn  states  that  it  was  at  Doddridge's 
meeting-house  he  obtained  license  and  was  recommended  ; 
while  the  preceding  account,  from  the  Bishop  himself, 
ascribes  it  to  Holmes'  meeting-house.  As  he  set  out,  how- 
ever, to  attend  the  one  or  the  other,  after  first  visiting 
brother  Quinn,  the  discrepancy  is  not  material.  Either  of 
them  may  have  been  mistaken,  after  the  lapse  of  forty 
years,  as  neither  kept  a  written  memorial.  We  give  the 
valuable  communication  of  brother  Quinn,  as  it  contains 
important  information,  both  in  regard  to  one  of  his  first 
attempts  at  exhortation,  and  his  being  licensed  to  preach 
and  recommended  to  travel. 

"  In  1801,"  says  the  venerable  Quinn,  "  I  was  appointed 
to  Erie  circuit,  and  Joseph  Shane  to  Shenango  circuit,  in 
whose  bounds  Robert  R.  Roberts  then  resided.  In  the 
9 


98 


CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  [^CHAP.  IV. 


course  of  the  year,  I  spent  a  week  with  brother  Shane  on 
his  circuit,  for  the  purpose  of  administering  baptism,  as  I 
was  a  deacon,  and  he  only  a  probationer,  and  unordained. 
Here  I  became  acquainted  with  Robert  R.  Roberts,  of  whom 
I  had  heard  so  many  good  things  in  Jiigonier.  He  took  me 
to  his  house  or  cabin,  and  opened  his  mind  to  me  freely  on 
the  subject  of  his  call  to  the  ministry.  But  he  had  great 
misgivings,  and  felt  deeply  sensible  of  the  awful  responsi- 
bility of  the  office,  and  his  own  inadequacy  to  fill  it.  I 
told  him  I  believed  that  God  had  called  him  to  the  work, 
and  that  he  would  probably  never  be  satisfied  in  his  own 
mind  until  he  had  made  a  trial ;  and,  moreover,  that  the 
Church  could  have  no  action  on  his  case,  until  she  had 
evidence  of  his  gifts  for  edification.  A  few  nights  after 
this,  we  held  a  watch-night,  to  which  he  came  on  foot,  the 
distance  from  his  house  being  six  or  seven  miles.  Here 
we  prevailed  on  him  to  give  an  exhortation,  which  was 
about  his  first.  He  delivered  it  in  the  costume  of  a  back- 
woodsman ;  but  it  was  worthy  of  gray  hairs  and  broad 
cloth.  All  present  were  perfectly  amazed;  and  brother 
M'Clelland,  who  had  been  a  traveling  preacher  in  Ireland, 
said  to  me,  '  That  is  the  man.  He  ought  to  be  in  the  work. 
He  understands  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  well,  and  is  a 
natural  logician.' 

"  I  was  called  by  the  presiding  elder  of  Redstone  district 
to  leave  Erie  and  take  the  Pittsburg  circuit,  about  Christmas. 
Sometime  in  March,  1802,  brother  Roberts  came  to  one  of 
my  appointments  on  the  new  circuit,  informing  me  that  he 
had  had  no  rest  in  his  mind  since  we  parted,  and  that  he 
had  determined  to  leave  all,  and  was  now  on  his  way  with 
his  wife,  to  offer  himself  to  the  Baltimore  conference. 
This  startled  me  a  little,  for  he  had  never  been  licensed 
cither  to  exhort  or  preach ;  neither  had  he  a  recommenda- 
tion from  the  society  or  any  quarterly  meeting  conference. 
I  paused  awhile.    He  observed  the  expression  of  hesitancy 


CHAP.  IV.3  CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY.  99 

in  me ;  and  I,  also,  saw  afflicting  embarrassment  in  him, 
which  I  endeavored  to  remove  by  observing,  that  as  She- 
nango  was  missionary  ground,  and  the  circuit  had  not  been 
fully  organized,  I  thought  we  could  get  his  case  brought 
before  the  quarterly  conference  of  one  of  the  old  circuits; 
and  as  brother  Fleming,  the  presiding  elder,  would  hold  a 
quarterly  meeting  at  Doddridge's  meeting-house,  on  Ohio 
circuit,  the  following  Saturday  and  Sunday,  I  would  write 
both  to  him  and  the  quarterly  conference,  and  I  doubted  not 
they  would  take  action  on  the  case.  He  spent  the  night  in 
restless  tossings  to  and  fro,  and  in  the  morning  concluded 
he  had  better  return  home.  But  I  urged  him  to  do  as  I  had 
requested.  At  length  he  reluctantly  took  the  letter,  and  went 
to  the  quarterly  meeting.  Brother  Shane,  providentially, 
was  pi'esent  on  the  occasion,  upon  whose  recommendation, 
along  with  my  own,  the  conference  licensed  him  to  preach, 
and  recommended  him  to  the  Baltimore  annual  conference, 
at  which  he  was  regularly  admitted  into  the  itinerant  min- 
istry. Thus  he  was  recommended  from  the  circuit,  which 
three  years  before  had  recommended  myself  As  a  preacher 
he  was  powerful  and  popular  from  the  beginning." 

After  being  licensed  to  preach  and  recommended  to  the 
Baltimore  conference,  he  returned  home  and  began  to  pre- 
pare for  traveling;  though  somewhat  fearful  in  regard  to  his 
reception,  as  he  was  a  married  man,  and  but  few  married 
men  weie  constituted  itinerant  preachers  in  those  days. 
He  thought,  however,  that  his  mind  would  be  at  rest,  after 
having  offered  his  services  to  the  Church,  though  he  should 
even  be  rejected.  It  was  probable  that  he  was  admitted 
into  the  Baltimore  conference  by  a  bare  majority,  as  the 
prejudice  against  receiving  married  preachers  was  then  very 
general  and  strong,  and  debarred  many  worthy  men  from 
entering  the  itinerant  ministry.  We  make  this  remark  on 
no  authentic  information.  In  giving  our  opinion,  we  base 
our  hypothesis  on  the  nature  of  the  case  drawn  from  the 


100 


ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.        [CHAP.  V. 


State  of  things  at  that  time.  We  do  not  wish  to  be  under- 
stood, however,  as  affirming,  that  it  is  unscriptural  or 
unreasonable,  to  require  probationers  in  the  ministry  to 
finish  their  probation  before  entering  into  matrimonial  en- 
gagements, when  they  are  unmarried  at  the  commencement 
of  the  same.  For  apprentices  and  minors,  entering  on  any 
regular  business,  are  justly  expected  not  to  make  such 
engagements.  But  we  mean  that  married  men  ought  not 
to  be  disqualified,  as  married  men,  from  entering  the  sacred 
office,  or  continuing  in  it;  and  we  moreover  think  that  any 
Church  regulation  which  thus  disqualifies  them,  savors  of 
Popery  and  tends  to  coiTuption  and  infamy. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY. 

When  Robert  R.  Roberts  was  i-eceived  on  trial  in.  the 
itinerant  ministry  by  the  Baltimore  conference,  in  the  spring 
of  1802,  and  appointed  to  Carlisle  circuit,  he  was  nearly- 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  disposed  of  or  rather  distribu- 
ted his  little  personal  property,  which  consisted,  as  we  have 
seen,  chiefly  of  farming  utensils  and  a  few  common  articles 
for  cooking.  Such  had  been  his  poverty,  and  the  want  of 
opportunity  to  collect  useful  articles,  that  he  had  very  few 
to  dispose  of.  There  was  no  need  for  a  vendue,  as  there 
were  neither  bureaus,  tables,  chairs,  sofas  nor  any  thing  of 
the  kind  to  sell.  Some  of  his  furniture  could  obtain  no 
purchasers,  such,  for  instance,  as  his  puncheon  table,  rough 
stools  and  clapboard  bedsteads.  All  his  neighbors  could 
make  those  articles  themselves,  and,  of  course,  they  would 
not  buy.  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts,  therefore,  distributed  them 
gratuitously  among  persons  that  needed  them.  Some  of 
the  more  useful,  and  even  some  of  the  cash  articles,  were 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  101 

also  presented  to  favorite  neighbors  and  relatives.  Mrs, 
M'Lean,  one  of  his  old  neighbors,  told  us  in  July,  1843, 
that  she  still  retained  the  cast  iron  spider  or  shallow  skillet, 
which  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts  gave  her  as  a  memento,  when  he 
set  out  for  his  circuit.  Though  scarcely  any  thing  was  sold, 
yet  a  few  articles  were  exchanged  for  such  little  outfit  as 
was  requisite  for  their  journey.  His  two  horses,  saddles 
and  bridles,  were  kept  for  their  own  use.  Their  clothes 
and  bed-clothes  were  put  up  in  packs  or  bags,  and  laid  on 
the  saddles.  Cakes  and  dried  venison  being  necessary 
provisions  were  also  put  into  the  packs  to  save  expense. 
Some  cooking  utensils  too  were  taken  along,  as  a  small 
coffee-pot,  two  tin-cups  and  a  couple  of  spoons.  They 
likewise  furnished  themselves  with  some  flour  and  coffee. 
With  these  means  they  calculated  that,  should  their  small 
supply  of  funds  run  out,  or  night  overtake  them  when  near 
no  house,  they  could  encamp  in  the  woods,  cook  their 
victuals,  and  sleep  in  their  own  bed-clothes. 

Indeed  every  itinerant  who  collects  sufficient  furniture 
for  comfortable  house-keeping,  must,  whenever  he  moves, 
make  considerable  sacrifices.  A  variety  of  small  unsalables 
must  be  left  behind;  which,  when  they  have  to  be  replaced, 
cost  money,  or,  when  dispensed  with,  cause  great  domestic 
inconvenience.  Even  the  water-gourd,  the  oven-shovel, 
and  a  hundred  unnamables,  will  be  missed.  Those  articles 
too  which  are  sold,  will  go  mostly  at  a  great  depreciation ; 
and  hence  another  loss.  And  those  that  are  retained, 
create  a  bill  of  expense  by  conveyance.  Such  incon- 
veniences and  losses  are  always,  more  or  less,  connected 
with  the  itinerant  life.  But  it  has  its  moral.  It  cuts  the 
man  entirely  loose  from  the  world.  It  scatters  into  frag- 
ments every  thing  out  of  which  an  idol  could  be  made.  It 
is  a  sheriff's  sale  of  all  that  pertains  to  him  on  earth.  And 
if  he  and  his  family  are  not  prepared  by  these  trying  events 
to  be  heavenly — altogether  heavenly,  without  even  a  shred 
9* 


102  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.       [CHAP.  V. 

of  the  earthly,  the  sensual,  or  the  devilish,  appertaining  to 
them,  either  really  or  in  appearance,  then  let  them  return 
whence  they  came  and  leave  the  itinerancy  to  those  of  the 
right  spirit.    They  should  neither  touch,  taste,  nor  handle  it. 

Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts  was  warmly  devoted  to  his  friends. 
He  was  the  pioneer,  and,  withal,  the  head  man  of  his 
neighborhood.  The  parting  was  difficult,  and  was  indeed 
a  touching  scene.  It  seemed  as  if  it  would  break  his  heart, 
and  the  heart  of  his  wife,  to  leave  all  their  domestic  associ- 
ations, and  go  forth  as  strangers  in  the  wide  world.  It  is 
true  they  had  not  much  to  leave  ;  but  then  it  was  home — a 
home  that  made  them  independent,  and  constituted  the  foun- 
dation of  their  future  comfort  and  probable  wealth.  As, 
however,  he  had  nothing  in  view  but  the  glory  of  God,  the 
good  of  others,  and  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  the  severance 
from  home's  blissful  ties  had  associated  with  it  the  highest 
motives  that  could  influence  man. 

They  crossed  the  mountains  on  horse-back,  holding 
meetings  by  the  way  in  every  convenient  place.  He  made 
his  home  in  York,  Pennsylvania,  with  Mrs,  Roberts' 
mother,  the  distance  of  which  was  about  three  hundred 
miles  from  Shenango. 

When  he  readied  York,  the  small-pox  was  raging  in 
different  directions  through  his  circuit.  He  and  his  friends 
thouglit  it  prudent  that  he  should  be  inoculated  before  com- 
mencing his  first  round.  The  operation  was  performed  by 
an  experienced  physician,  and  he  himself  was  so  careful  that 
he  was  very  slightly  aflected. 

His  colleague  was  James  Smith.  He  had  traveled  the 
circuit  the  previous  year,  and  was  also  in  charge.  It  was 
an  extensive  circuit,  reaching  from  York  into  the  moun- 
tains, and  up  the  Susquehanna,  including  Carlisle,  Turkey 
Valley,  Sherman's  Valley,  Pfort's  Valley,  Millerstown  and 
Thompsonstown,  on  the  Juniata,  Shippensburg,  Cham- 
bersburg,  Gettysburg,  Port  Chapel  and  Berlin.    In  all 


CHAP,   v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  103 

they  had  about  thirty  appointments,  which  they  filled  in 
four  weeks.  Their  presiding  elder  was  Wilson  Lee,  a 
man  of  great  faith,  zeal  and  usefulness.  Rev.  R.  R.  Rob- 
erts commenced  early  in  May ;  and  before  completing  his 
third  round,  he  had  both  the  small-pox  and  measles,  and 
likewise  lost  the  two  horses  belonging  to  himself  and  his 
wife. 

While  afflicted  with  the  measles  he  was  much  enfeebled. 
When  at  Shippenburg  he  became  very  sick ;  but  not  being 
able  to  obtain  a  local  brother  to  officiate  for  him,  he  preached 
himself.  His  next  appointment  was  at  Mr.  Bosar's,  nine 
miles  distant.  In  going  there  he  became  so  ill  that  he 
was  obliged  to  dismount  and  lie  down  on  the  way.  The 
thought,  however,  that  some  person  might  see  him,  and 
suppose  him  to  be  drunk,  so  affected  him  that  he  tried  to 
mount  again,  and,  succeeding,  rode  to  his  appointment. 
On  arriving,  he  immediately  went  to  bed,  as  it  was  at  a 
private  house.  But  as  the  congregation  gathered,  they 
urged  him  to  preach,  at  which  he  arose  and  spoke  some- 
time. Next  morning  the  measles  made  their  appearance 
on  him,  and  it  was  only  then  that  he  knew  what  was  the 
cause  of  his  sickness. 

The  family  were  very  kind,  and  did  all  they  could  for 
his  accommodation.  They  kept  him  warm  and  comfort- 
able, and  gave  him  warm  drinks.  He  earnestly  desired 
cold  water,  but  this  being  strictly  forbidden,  none  was  given 
him.  One  night,  however,  while  all  the  family  were  asleep, 
he  arose,  though  not  without  great  difficulty,  wrapped  a 
blanket  around  him,  and  went  to  the  pump,  which  was  on 
the  porch,  and  there,  with  considerable  labor,  succeeded 
in  getting  water,  which  he  sipped  somewhat  slowly.  It 
was  very  pleasant  to  his  taste,  yet  he  had  sufficient  con- 
trol over  himself  not  to  take  as  much  as  he  desired.  He 
returned  to  bed,  fell  asleep,  and  next  morning  awoke  in  a 
perspiration,  being  materially  better.    The  family  knew 


104  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.       [CHAP.  V. 

nothing  of  this  adventure  till  after  his  recovery.  He  got 
well  very  soon,  and  resumed  his  ministerial  labors.  At 
some  appointments  they  were  favored  with  gracious  revivals. 

Certain  exercises  in  religious  meetings,  at  this  time, 
afflicted  him  very  much.  Frequently  some  persons  would 
be  shouting,  some  jumping,  and  others  falling  down.  These 
exercises  confused  him  exceedingly,  and  his  embarrassments 
appeared  to  the  people.  Some  of  them  remarked  to  Mr. 
Smith,  his  colleague,  "  We  believe  brother  Roberts  to  be  a 
good  man,  and  we  like  him  well  enough  as  a  young 
preacher,  but  there  is  one  thing  in  his  course  we  cannot 
comprehend.  When  our  meetings  become  lively,  he  stops 
and  has  nothing  to  say."  He  and  Mr.  Smith  had  some 
conversation  on  the  subject,  in  which  he  stated  that  these 
exercises  so  disconcerted  him  that  he  was  unable  to  pro- 
ceed. Mr.  Smith  requested  him  to  use  as  much  forbear- 
ance as  he  could.  The  truth  seems  to  be,  that  when  these 
emotions  are  the  spontaneous  effusions  of  the  heart,  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  religion  to  restrain  them,  especially 
with  much  severity.  Persons  may,  in  such  cases,  habitu- 
ate themselves  to  unseemly  and  improper  exercises.  All, 
however,  should  aim  at  decency  and  order,  in  every  act  of 
divine  service.  The  sudden  emotions  of  the  awakened  and 
penitent  form  not  the  proper  specimens  for  religious  wor- 
ship. They  are  the  interjections  or  exclamations  of  religion ; 
and  though  they  are  not  to  be  classed  with  demure  nouns, 
pronouns  and  verbs,  yet  they  have  their  place ;  and  it  would 
be  as  unsafe  to  blot  them  out  of  the  list  of  suitable  expres- 
sions for  the  aflections  in  the  services  of  religion,  as  it 
would  be  improper,  and  even  dangerous,  to  place  on  them 
the  principal  stress  in  judging  of  religious  character. 

One  of  their  quarterly  meetings,  probably  the  second, 
was  held  in  Carlisle.  The  meeting-house  was  small,  and 
on  the  Sabbath  the  congregation  was  large.  They  were, 
therefore,  compelled  to  remove  the  meeting  to  an  adjoining 


CHAP.  V.3       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  105 

grove.  The  presiding  elder,  Mr.  Wilson,  was  a  man  of 
very  neat  personal  appearance ;  and,  moreover,  wore  a  silk 
morning  gown.  He  opened  the  religious  services  in  the 
place  specified,  and  before  he  had  closed,  such  were  the 
efiects  produced  on  the  congregation  that  many  fell  to  the 
ground  in  every  direction,  like  men  in  battle :  numbers  also 
professed  conversion;  and  crowds  went  away  wondering 
what  these  things  could  mean. 

Methodism  was  weak  and  small  in  Carlisle  in  those  days, 
and  was  treated  with  no  little  contempt.  Dickinson  Col- 
lege was  there,  and  at  that  time  was  under  Calvinistic  influ- 
ence. Little  did  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts  then  think  that  the 
day  would  roll  round  so  rapidly  when  the  College  itself 
would  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  Methodists,  and  such 
large  and  flourishing  Methodist  societies  would  be  raised  up 
in  Carlisle  and  the  surrounding  country. 

The  Rev.  ,Tohn  Wall  preceded  him  on  the  circuit,  but 
had  declined  traveling,  in  consequence  of  the  inconve- 
niences of  the  itinerant  life,  and  the  want  of  family  sup- 
port, as  he  had  a  wife  and  children.  After  his  resignation, 
he  established  a  powder  mill  in  Shippensburg.  This,  how- 
ever, was  soon  blown  up.  Mr.  Wall  himself  was  seriously 
injured,  but  at  length  he  recovered  from  the  effects.  Mrs. 
Wall,  being  of  a  very  resolute  disposition,  was  more  than 
willing  to  undergo  the  privations  and  difficulties  of  an  itin- 
erant life,  and  frequently  urged  her  husband  to  persevere. 
When  this  disaster  befell  them,  she  very  earnestly  exhorted 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts  to  adhere  to  the  course  which  they 
had  commenced.  Her  pious  advice  had  an  excellent  effect 
on  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Roberts,  fully  reconciling  her  to 
her  lot.  Indeed,  the  event  was  not  without  its  influence 
on  Mr.  Roberts  himself.  Mr.  Wall  was  an  excellent 
man,  of  good  mental  qualities,  lived  a  pious  and  useful 
life,  and  died  in  great  peace  in  Cincinnati,  in  1841.  His 
amiable  wife  still  survives,  a  pattern  of  piety,  urging 


106  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.        [cHAP.  V. 

too,  when  opportunity  offers,  every  itinerant  preacher  to 
continue  in  his  sacred  and  important  work,  forgetting  not 
to  mention  as  a  reason  the  calamities  occasioned  by  the 
explosion  of  her  husband's  powder  mill  after  abandoning  the 
itinerant  field  of  labor. 

The  great  diffidence  of  Mr.  Roberts,  and  the  low  estimate 
he  put  on  his  own  talents,  still  continued  to  give  him 
more  or  less  uneasiness,  though  not  so  much  as  formerly. 
Of  this  we  have  an  instance.  Little  York  was  a  Sabbath 
appointment,  and  such  was  the  great  estimation  in  which 
he  was  there  held,  after  he  had  preached  a  few  times,  that 
crowds  went  constantly  to  hear  him.  The  Methodist 
society  was  small,  and  Methodism  itself  was  held  in  no 
very  high  repute  at  that  time;  still  large  congregations 
attended  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Roberts,  the  most  intelligent 
persons  in  the  town  and  vicinity  being  especially  delighted 
with  his  pulpit  performances,  and  always  attending  when  he 
preached.  In  the  place  of  encouraging,  this  rather  intimi- 
dated the  backwoods  preacher.  He  could,  at  that  time, 
speak  with  tolerable  confidence  to  a  small  assembly,  com- 
posed of  persons  of  common  acquirements ;  but  the  presence 
of  crowds,  and  among  them  the  most  educated  and  best 
informed,  Avas  very  much  in  his  way.  Such  was  the  effect 
on  his  mind,  one  Sabbath  on  M'itnessing  the  large  numbers 
that  were  hastening  to  the  church  where  he  was  about  to 
preach,  that  he  even  retired  to  the  commons.  There  he 
walked  to  and  fro  in  pensive  sadness,  and  concluded  he  had 
better  not  go  to  the  church  until  the  hour  of  preaching  was 
over,  or  nearly  so,  in  hope  that  the  congregation  would 
disperse,  or  that  some  other  preacher,  who  might  happen  to 
be  present,  would  commence  the  exercises,  and  thus  he 
would  be  released  from  the  performance  of  a  duty  to  which, 
under  the  circumstances,  he  considered  himself  inadequate. 
After  delaying,  as  he  supposed,  a  sufficient  length  of  linie 
to  be  relieved  from  the  cross  which  bore  on  him  so  severely. 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  107 

he  entered  the  church,  and  found  it  well  filled  with  expec- 
tant hearers,  and  no  one  present  who  had  undertaken  to 
officiate.  He  ascended  the  pulpit,  gave  out  his  hymn,  sang 
and  prayed.  While  the  congregation  were  singing  the 
second  hymn,  he  selected  his  text,  and  afterward  commenced 
without  either  apology  or  explanation.  On  this  occasion, 
he  had  unusual  liberty,  and  preached  greatly  to  the  edifica- 
tion and  delight  of  his  audience.  His  performance  was 
spoken  of  with  enthusiasm  by  the  elite  of  the  town,  and 
served  as  a  new  reason  for  the  increase  of  his  congregation 
in  future.  His  unaffected  modesty  won  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers  ;  his  solid  good  sense  instructed  the  most  intelligent ; 
and  the  deep  vein  of  piety  and  the  holy  unction  which 
imbued  his  discourse,  became  wine  and  fat  things  to  the 
religious  part  of  his  audience.  In  short,  he  was  then, 
though  in  his  incipient  year,  a  popular  preacher  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  word. 

His  pecuniary  resources  were  small  in  those  days.  As 
to  the  few  wants  of  his  wife,  they  were  supplied  partly  by 
the  kindness  of  her  mother,  with  whom  she  lived,  and 
partly  by  her  own  industry.  Having  lost  both  his  horses, 
and  having  no  money  to  purchase  another,  he  was  some- 
what perplexed  to  know  what  to  do  in  this  respect.  He, 
however,  borrowed  one  from  a  friend  for  present  use ;  and 
by  the  kindness  of  the  members  of  the  Church,  and  some 
persons  who  were  not  members,  a  horse  was  purchased  and 
nearly  paid  for,  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  continue  in  his 
good  work.  Indeed,  the  gift  of  a  horse  was  indispensably 
necessary.  He  could  not  possibly  walk  around  so  large  a 
circuit  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  and  punctually  meet  his 
appointments.  He  had  no  present  supplies  on  which  to 
depend.  His  real  estate  at  Shenango,  consisting  of  about 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  few  of  which  were  cleared,  and 
also  a  log  cabin,  would  not  sell  at  all,  or  at  most  would  not 
bring  one  hundred  dollars,  in  cash  payments.    Even  when 


108  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.       [cHAP.  V. 

a  tract  of  three  hundred  acres  was  sold  in  1832,  twenty-five 
or  thirty  of  which  were  cleared,  together  with  a  mill  that 
had  been  erected  on  it,  it  brought  only  two  dollars  per  acre. 
At  this  low  price  it  was  purchased  by  John  and  Findlay 
Stevenson,  and  Lewis  Lindsay.  Had  Mr.  Roberts  gone  in 
debt  for  a  horse,  it  would  have  been  without  the  remotest 
prospect  of  making  payment,  as  the  utmost  he  could  expect 
from  his  circuit  was  no  more  than  a  most  limited  subsis- 
tence, by  the  most  parsimonious  mode  of  living,  aided  also 
by  the  great  economy  and  unsurpassed  industry  of  his  wife, 
and  moreover  favored  with  no  more  of  a  family  than 
themselves.  Money,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  state,  was 
not  the  object  he  had  in  view  in  becoming  an  itinerant 
preacher,  or  he  never  would  have  been  one.  Had  this  been 
his  aim,  he  would  doubtless  have  continued  on  his  farm; 
for  there  he  had  the  prospect  of  independence  and  compe- 
tency, and  perhaps  wealth.  The  pioneer  itinerant  preachers 
were  men  that  the  world  is  much  indebted  to.  Those  of 
the  present  generation  are  placed  in  more  favored  circum- 
stances. But  it  requires  still,  and  always  will  require  much 
self-sacrifice  to  be  an  itinerant  Methodist  minister.  The 
cross  lias  not  yet  ceased,  and  it  never  can  cease  until  the 
itinerant  system  is  l)roken  to  pieces,  it  being  utterly  incapa- 
ble of  adaptation  to  the  worldly  and  the  selfish  in  its  genuine 
form.  Indeed  those  who  love  the  world,  and  the  things  of 
the  world,  would  never  form  such  a  scheme  ;  neither  would 
they  continue  any  length  of  time  under  its  operations. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  year,  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts' 
colleague  went  to  conference,  while  he  remained  on  the 
circuit,  filling  the  appointments,  until  he  received  informa- 
tion of  his  future  field  of  labor. 

In  the  spring  of  1803,  he  was  stationed  on  Montgomery 
circuit,  Maryland.  His  colleague  was  Peter  B.  Davis,  who 
was  also  in  charge.  He  left  his  wife  with  her  mother  in 
York,  and  traveled  one  round  on  the  circuit,  in  order  to 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  109 

ascertain  where  he  could  get  a  home  for  her.  At  this  time 
there  were  no  parsonages  on  the  circuits,  and  a  preacher 
found  it  necessary  to  go  at  least  one  round  before  he  could 
determine  where  it  would  be  best  to  settle  temporarily  his 
family.  He  found  a  place  for  her  in  Clarksburg,  near 
Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  at  which  he  boarded  her  during  the 
year.  The  presiding  elder  was  Daniel  Hitt.  Many  of  the 
societies  were  large.  Preaching  and  meeting  classes  occu- 
pied the  day-time ;  and  as  there  were  many  colored  societies 
that  could  not  attend  a  place  of  worship  during  the  day,  the 
ministers  had  to  preach  for  them  at  night,  and  meet  their 
classes  also.  This  gave  them  an  abundance  of  work,  espe- 
cially as  they  had  appointments  nearly  every  day  in  the 
week.  At  the  end  of  six  months,  his  colleague,  Mr.  Davis, 
for  some  cause,  was  removed  to  another  circuit — a  custom 
very  common  in  those  days,  but  of  rare  occurrence  at 
present.  These  transfers  were  frequendy  made  in  order  to 
secui'e,  at  certain  points,  tlie  services  of  those  who  were 
ordained  to  administer  the  sacraments ;  for  the  same  pro- 
portion of  preachers  was  not  then  ordained  as  now.  The 
place  of  Mr.  Davis  was  supplied  by  Joseph  Hays.  The 
charge  then  devolved  on  Mr.  Roberts,  which,  of  course, 
increased  his  labors. 

Previously  to  this  time,  Rev.  Nicholas  Snethen,  a  man 
of  superior  preaching  abilities,  had  been  traveling  with 
Bishop  Asbury  in  the  west,  and  had  had  an  opportunity  of 
attending  several  camp  meetings  in  the  course  of  the 
journey.  He  became  fully  convinced  that  they  miglit  be 
introduced,  with  great  advantage,  cast  of  the  mountains. 
Accordingly,  on  his  return  he  determined  to  have  one  near 
Baltimore,  where  he  was  then  stationed.  Joshua  Wells 
was  in  charge  and  was  opposed  to  the  measure,  but  finally 
yielded  so  far  as  to  permit  Mr.  Snethen  and  his  other  col- 
league, Samuel  Coats,  to  do  as  they  pleased,  he  himself, 
however,  standing  entirely  aloof  from  it.  His  reason  for 
10 


110  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.       [cHAP.  V. 

this  course,  probably,  was,  that  he  considered  the  camp 
meeting  as  an  experiment  not  yet  fully  tested,  and  was 
therefore  unwilling  to  commit  himself  and  the  Church 
with  an  undertaking,  which,  to  them,  at  that  time,  was  of 
doubtful  character.  Mr.  Snethen  heard  of  Mr.  Roberts  as 
being  a  very  promising  young  preacher,  and  in  a  letter 
requested  him  to  announce  the  meeting  on  his  circuit,  and 
also  to  come  himself  and  assist  on  the  occasion.  This  was 
in  the  fall,  or  toward  the  end  of  summer,  before  Mr.  Davis 
had  been  transferred  to  the  other  circuit,  and  of  course 
while  he  was  in  charge.  Mr.  Roberts  began  to  give  out 
the  camp  meeting  appointment  as  he  traveled  around  the 
circuit.  He  at  length,  however,  met  his  colleague,  Mr. 
Davis,  who  was  by  no  means  favorable  to  his  mode  of 
proceeding,  as  tlie  meeting  was  unauthorized  by  the  Disci- 
pline, and  was  of  doubtful  utility,  or  at  least  of  a  not 
fully  tried  character.  His  colleague  stated  that  he  thought 
he  ought  to  have  consulted  with  him  before  making  the 
announcement,  and  should  have  had  his  concurrence  and 
permission,  especially  as  he  was  the  preacher  in  charge. 
He  replied  that  he  had  published  the  meeting  at  the  request 
of  a  regular  Methodist  preacher,  and  that  he  did  not  suppose 
there  was  any  impropriety  in  it,  adding  that  he  had  purposed 
to  attend  himself.  After  some  free  and  pleasant  conversa- 
tion on  the  subject,  Mr.  Davis  dropped  his  opposition,  and 
finally  agreed  to  go  to  the  meeting  in  company  with  Mr. 
Roberts,  and  judge  for  himself. 

This  was  probably  the  introduction  of  camp  meetings 
east  of  the  mountains,  and  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that 
all  would  cordially  unite  with  the  zealous  undertakers  of 
them  at  once.  Mr.  Roberts  and  his  colleague,  however, 
according  to  agreement,  went  to  the  meeting.  At  the  time 
of  their  arrival  there,  the  horn  was  just  being  blown  as  a 
signal  for  preaching  at  the  pulpit  or  stand.  The  sound  of 
this  instrument,  being  associated  in  his  mind  with  boating 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  Ill 

and  other  common  uses,  was  rather  repulsive,  and  was  not 
calculated  to  promote  feelings  of  devotion.  But  when  he 
saw  Mr.  Snethen  in  the  stand,  which  was,  withal,  a  very- 
rough  one,  he  was  highly  pleased,  as  the  scene  then  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  religious  service,  though  to  him 
the  arrangement  of  the  tents,  and  so  on,  had  little  connec- 
tion with  the  exercises  of  religion,  judging  by  former  asso- 
ciations. Mr.  Snethen  preached  an  able  sermon  from, 
"The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  spiritual," 
&c.  The  effect  was  powerful.  Sinners  began  to  fall  in 
every  direction.  Mr.  Roberts,  however,  became  very  much 
troubled  in  his  mind  while  witnessing  the  scene.  He  had 
joined  the  Methodists,  and  become  a  minister  among  them, 
but  could  not  approve  of  all  their  proceedings.  For  two 
days  he  was  sad  and  dejected,  and  knew  not  what  to  do. 
But  on  retiring  to  the  woods,  and  engaging  earnestly  in 
secret  prayer,  his  mind  was  relieved,  and  he  was  subse- 
quently able  to  take  part  in  the  services. 

During  the  course  of  this  and  the  previous  year,  he  first 
became  acquainted  Avith  the  German  Methodists,  then  called 
Otterbeins.  Mr.  Otterbein  was  a  German  divine  of  consid- 
erable talents  and  piety,  of  the  Gei-man  Reformed  Church. 
He  assisted  at  the  ordination  of  Bishop  Asbury.  The 
German  Methodists  did  not  then  constitute  a  separate 
Church,  but  all  often  met  together  for  worship.  Mr.  Rob- 
erts went  to  their  meetings  very  frequently,  and  preached 
for  them.  They  also  attended  our  meetings,  and  manifested 
great  friendliness.  On  this  point.  Bishop  Roberts,  in  the 
brief  journal  before  referred  to,  written  from  his  mouth  by- 
President  Simpson,  says,  "  They  were  very  friendly  to  us. 
They  came  to  our  meetings,  and  we  attended  theirs.  We 
ought  to  have  begun  systematically  among  the  Germans 
then."  Some  of  their  ministers  applied  for  admission  into 
the  traveling  ministry;  but,  having  families,  they  were 
rejected,  as  the  sum  necessary  to  support  them  would,  of 


112  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.        fcHAP.  V. 

course,  be  greater  than  that  required  for  single  men.  This 
miserable  policy  so  far  infested  the  Church  as  to  lead  to  the 
i-ejection  of  several  able  ministers;  while  most  of  those 
wlio  became  married,  located,  in  consequence  of  the  want 
of  family  support.  This  was  not,  however,  strictly  the 
fault  of  the  people.  It  resulted  from  the  teachings  and 
practice  of  a  few  influential  preachers,  the  people  being  apt 
scholars  under  them.  By  it,  as  already  intimated,  many 
married  men  of  great  ministerial  worth  were  actually  shut 
out  of  the  field  to  which  God  had  clearly  called  them ;  and 
many  -others  were  excluded  from  it  after  they  had  entered. 
To  this  day,  the  bad  effects  of  this  anti-scriptural  policy  re- 
main, and  two  generations  will  not  cure  the  evil.  By  these 
means,  and  some  other  improvident  steps,  the  German 
Methodists  were  alienated  from  tlie  Methodist  Episcopal 
Churcli,  which  unquestionably  has  been  a  great  hindrance 
to  the  work  of  God  among  the  Germans,  even  down  to  the 
present  time.  Had  the  German  Methodists  of  that  day 
been  incorporated  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
as  a  separate  conference,  or  in  some  other  form,  the  cause 
of  Christianity  among  all  the  Protestant  Germans  of  the 
United  States  would  have  been  much  promoted,  and  the 
best  results  would  have  followed.  The  recent  German 
organization  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  hoAV- 
ever,  connected,  as  it  is,  with  the  periodical  press  and 
religious  books,  promises  great  usefulness  in  behalf  of  the 
German  population.  And  were  all  the  Methodist  Ger- 
mans, whether  among  the  United  Brethren,  or  the  Evan- 
gelical Association,  or  Otterbeins,  now  harmoniously  mar- 
shaled under  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  a  far 
greater  amount  of  good  would  be  done  than  is  being 
accomplished  by  separate  organizations.  We  fear,  how- 
ever, that  this  desirable  state  of  things  will  not  soon  be 
brouglit  about;  and  yet  we  believe  that  independent  bodies 
of  Methodists  are  unnecessary.    No  matter  who  they  are, 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  113 

or  in  whatever  form  they  exist,  so  long  as  they  are  without 
the  pale  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  they  are 
uncalled  for. 

While  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts  was  on  tliis  circuit,  and  was 
in  his  second  or  third  round,  three  or  four  young  ladies 
experienced  religion,  and  came  prepared,  at  one  of  his  ap- 
pointments, to  join  the  Church.  Having  had  no  special 
instructions  from  his  colleague,  Mr.  Davis,  to  receive  mem- 
bers, he  advised  them  to  wait  till  he  came  round.  Such 
was  his  retiring  disposition  and  his  great  aversion  to  as- 
sume any  power  which  did  not  belong  to  him,  as  well  as 
his  extraordinary  timidity  in  exercising  even  the  power 
which  he  believed  himself  legitimately  to  possess,  that  on 
this  occasion  he  actually  declined  doing  what  is  the  regular 
business  of  every  junior  preacher  in  the  absence  of  his 
senior.  Before,  however,  his  colleague  came  round  a  Bap- 
tist minister  had  prevailed  on  them  to  be  immersed,  and 
thus  taken  them  into  his  Church.  This  led  to  some  diffi- 
culties, and  finally  to  a  controversy  between  the  Baptist 
minister  and  Mr.  Davis,  in  which  both  sides,  as  usual, 
claimed  the  victory.  Indeed,  it  was  the  custom  of  Baptist 
ministers,  very  generally,  to  be  on  the  look  out  for  Meth- 
odist converts,  in  order  to  persuade  them  that  baptism  by 
immersion  alone  is  valid,  and  by  this  means  gain  accessions 
to  their  Churcli.  They  visited  them  in  private  and  preached 
to  them  in  public,  and  very  often  manifested  unseemly  haste 
to  have  them  immersed.  We  have  known  of  weak  minded 
persons,  after  a  whole  evening's  fire-side  catechising,  hurried 
to  the  adjoining  stream,  between  10  and  12  o'clock  at  night, 
to  be  immersed,  and  immediately  taken  into  the  Church, 
lest  their  sober  reflections  in  the  morning,  or  a  few  days 
afterward,  would  prevent  them  from  being  Baptists.  Those 
acquainted  with  the  religious  history  of  the  last  fifty  years, 
especially  its  denominational  features,  can  easily  call  to 
mind  innumerable  cases  of  this  description.  In  fact  those 
10* 


114  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.       [cHAP.  V. 

measures  became  the  settled  policy  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  they  considered  themselves  doing  eminent  service  to  the 
cause  of  true  Christianity,  when  by  such  exceptionable 
means  they  could  transfer  Methodist  converts  into  their  own 
denomination.  They  have  ever  laid  in  complaints  about 
Methodists  taking  unconverted  persons  into  their  Church ; 
nevertheless,  when  these  same  unconverted  persons,  (and 
regarded  as  such  by  Methodists  themselves,  having,  as  the 
Discipline  expresses  it,  "  The  form  of  godliness,  and  seek- 
mg  the  power,")  happened  to  become  candidates  for  immer- 
sion in  the  Baptist  Church,  all  at  once  they  "had  a  hope," 
were  regenerated,  and  entitled  to  the  character  of  good 
Christians.  Then  the  Methodist  seeker  became,  as  by 
magical  transformation,  a  believer.  The  truth  is,  that  those 
whom  the  Methodists  consider  as  awakened  penitents  or 
seekers  of  religion,  the  Baptists  too  often  regard  as  having 
the  experience  of  Christians.  Many  thousands  of  Methodist 
converts  have  been,  by  this  means,  taken  into  the  Baptist 
Churches.  But  the  fruit  of  the  unscriptural  stress  they  lay 
on  baptism  has  been  disastrous  to  themselves.  It  has 
generated  Campbellism,  and  several  other  unsound  systems ; 
and  it  is  now  working  and  ever  will  work  mischief  in  the 
Baptist  Churches.  While,  however,  we  make  these  asser- 
tions, we  are  free  to  admit  that  the  Baptists  are  a  valuable 
branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ;  but  we  tell  them  in  honesty 
and  candor  that  the  errors  we  liave  mentioned,  are  mis- 
chievous to  tlieir  very  well  being.  Some  improvement  for 
the  better  has  been  made  within  the  last  few  years;  but 
there  is  still  need  of  much  more  in  some  of  them. 

At  the  last  quarterly  meeting  held  on  Montgomery  circuit, 
they  were  favored  with  the  labors  of  Rev.  Nicholas  Snethen. 
The  congregations  were  large,  and  religious  services  had  to 
be  held  in  the  open  air.  Many  were  converted,  and  a 
revival  began  to  spread  in  different  directions  through  the 
circuit. 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  115 

The  Baltimore  conference  sat  this  year,  1804,  at  Alex- 
andria, District  of  Columbia,  in  the  month  of  April,  Dr. 
Coke  attending  and  aiding  Bishop  Asbury.  Mr.  Roberts 
was  admitted  into  full  connection,  having  filled  his  two  years 
of  probation  with  great  usefulness.  Even  then  his  minis- 
terial qualifications  attracted  notice.  When  his  case  came 
before  the  conference  for  election  to  deacons'  orders,  and 
for  full  admission  into  the  traveling  connection.  Bishop 
Asbury,  in  a  tone  of  pleasantry,  on  the  name  of  Robert  R. 
Roberts  being  called,  inquired  concerning  "  mountain 
headed  Roberts,  not  city  Roberts."  By  city  Roberts  was 
meant,  another  preacher  of  the  same  name.  It  seems,  too, 
that  the  distinctive  appellation  given  above,  had  reference  to 
the  part  of  the  country  from  which  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts 
came,  as  he  was  from  the  mountains  or  over  the  mountains. 
Rev.  James  Smith,  his  former  colleague,  observed  in  reply, 
that  the  moral  character  of  Robert  R.  Roberts  was  un- 
blemished, and  his  head  was  a  complete  magazine.  He 
was  consequently  ordained  deacon.  This  was  performed 
by  the  Rev.  Francis  Asbury,  at  the  conference  already  men- 
tioned, in  Alexandria,  District  of  Columbia,  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  four.  We  give  on  the  annexed  page  a  fac 
simile  of  his  parchment,  containing  the  testimonial  of  his 
ordination  as  deacon  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
signed,  of  course,  by  Bishop  Asbury,  which  we  doubt  not 
our  readers  will  be  pleased  to  see.  A  slight  change  of  one 
expression  in  the  parchment  used  when  he  was  ordained, 
was  made  sometime  between  the  year  1832  and  1836. 
The  clause,  "  A  man  whom  I  judge  to  be  well  qualified  for 
that  work:  and  do  hereby  recommend  him,"  was  changed 
for  the  following:  "  A  man  who,  in  the  judgment  of  the 

 conference,  is  well  qualified  for  that  work:  and  he 

is  hereby  recommended."  The  change  was  justly  made 
to  correspond  with  the  fact  of  the  case,  namely:  that  the 


116  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY,        [CHAP.  V. 

conference  of  which  the  person  becomes  a  member,  has 
always  been  the  judge  in  regard  to  the  qualifications  of 
deacons,  and,  of  course,  it  does  not  seem  proper  for  the 
Bishops,  in  giving  letters  of  ordination,  to  state  that  they 
judge,  when  it  is  the  annual  conference  that  judges:  more- 
over the  Bishop  ought  not  to  be  made  responsible  for  an 
act  in  which  others  are  the  actors. 

A.  brief  outline  of  the  various  steps  by  which  a  Metho- 
dist preacher  is  licensed  to  preach,  received  on  probation, 
and  admitted  into  the  ministry,  may  be  acceptable  to  the 
reader  in  this  place,  connected,  as  it  is,  with  the  ordination 
of  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts. 

The  social  meetings  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
such  as  class  meetings,  love  feasts  and  prayer  meetings,  are 
admirably  calculated  to  exercise  and  develop  the  gifts  and 
graces  of  Cliurch  members.  Here,  they  are  called  upon 
or  are  permitted  to  relate  their  Christian  experience. 
They  are  all,  too,  more  or  less,  called  upon  to  exercise 
their  gifts  in  extemporaneous  prayer.  In  these  exer- 
cises, the  discovery  will  be  soon  made  whether  any  have 
gifts  capable  of  rendering  them  a  benefit  to  others.  In 
these  exercises,  too,  experienced  Church  members  and 
ministers  will  be  enabled  to  observe  the  beginnings,  or 
mark  the  indications  of  those  gifts  which  point  out,  either 
certainly  or  probably,  the  future  minister. 

Then  tliere  is  the  office  of  class-leader.  The  class- 
leaders  are  chosen  from  among  the  most  gifted  of  the  private 
members,  who,  in  the  exercise  of  their  gifts  and  graces,  as 
members,  give  promise  of  usefulness.  In  this  oflice,  there 
is  room  for  the  development  of  ministerial  gifts.  Giving 
out  the  hymns,  speaking  to  the  members  and  encouraging 
them,  and  delivering  short  exhorlatory  addresses  at  the 
commencement  and  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  furnish 
opportunities  for  the  unfolding  of  talent  on  the  part  of  the 
leader,  and  the  ability  of  judging  on  the  part  of  the  mem- 


CHAP,  v.]       ENTRANCE 'on  THE  ITINERANCY.  119 

bers,  who  become  witnesses  to  the  Church  as  to  whether 
the  individual  gives  promise  of  ministerial  capabilities  or 
not.  Hence,  tlie  Church  is  prepared  to  admit  to  the  office 
of  exhorter  those  who  are  qualified  for  if. 

Of  the  office  of  exhorter  in  our  Church,  we  would  next 
make  mention.  The  preacher  in  pastoral  charge  of  circuits 
has  the  power  of  granting  licenses  to  exhort.  But  the 
consent  of  the  leaders'  meeting  or  of  the  class  the  candidate 
is  a  member  of  must  first  be  obtained ;  and,  moreover,  the 
license  must  be  renewed  annually.  Here  is  a  fine  field  of 
exercise  for  the  future  preacher,  and  one  that  answers 
most  admirably  to  call  forth  the  development  of  gifts  and 
graces. 

After  this,  the  office  of  local  preacher  gives  abundant 
opportunity  for  testing  ministerial  talents.  The  society  of 
which  the  person  is  a  member,  or  the  leaders'  meeting,  must 
first  recommend  him.  Then  the  quarterly  conference,  com- 
posed of  the  presiding  elder,  the  traveling  and  local  preachers, 
the  stewards,  exhorters  and  leaders  of  the  circuit,  by  a 
majority  of  votes,  confer  the  license,  after  due  examination 
of  the  candidate  in  doctrine,  discipline  and  Christian  expe- 
rience. In  this  relation  the  young  preacher  has  good 
opportunities  to  satisfy  himself,  while  the  Church  can  test 
his  true  value  in  regard  to  ministerial  qualifications. 

All  preachers  before  they  can  be  admitted  on  trial  in  an 
annual  conference,  must  be  recommended  by  the  quarterly 
conference  of  their  respective  circuits.  They  are  examined 
on  doctrine  and  discipline ;  and  it  is  particularly  inquired 
by  the  quarterly  conference,  (See  Discipline,  p.  48,) 

1 .  Has  he  grace  ? 

2.  Has  he  gifts  ? 

3.  Has  God  given  him  fruit  for  his  labor? 

4.  Will  he  in  the  judgment  of  charity  be  a  useful 
minister  ? 

Next  his  case  comes  before  the  annual  conference,  where 


120  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.        [cHAP.  V. 

he  is  fully  represented,  and  is  received  or  rejected  by  a 
majority  of  votes.  If  received  he  is  employed  as  a  proba- 
tioner for  two  years  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  has  a 
course  of  study  prescribed ;  and  then,  at  the  expiration  of 
this  time,  if  he  is  not  likely  to  make  a  useful  preacher,  he 
is  rejected  The  following  searching  questions  are  pro- 
posed by  the  President,  which  must  be  satisfactorily  an- 
swered before  the  conference  :  "  Have  you  faith  in  Christ? 
Are  you  going  on  to  perfection?  Do  you  expect  to  be 
made  perfect  in  love  in  this  life?  Are  you  groaning  after 
it?  Are  you  resolved  to  devote  yourself  wholly  to  God 
and  his  work  ?  Do  you  know  the  rules  of  society  ? — of  the 
bands  ?  Do  you  keep  them  ?  Do  you  constantly  attend 
the  sacrament?  Have  you  read  the  form  of  Discipline? 
Are  you  willing  to  conform  to  it?  Have  you  considered 
the  rules  of  a  preacher,  especially  the  first,  tenth  and 
twelfth  ?  Will  you  keep  them  for  conscience'  sake  ?  Are 
you  determined  to  employ  all  your  time  in  the  work  of 
God?  Will  you  endeavor  not  to  speak  too  long  or  too 
loud?  Will  you  diligently  instruct  the  children  in  every 
place  ?  Will  you  visit  from  house  to  house  ?  Will  you 
recommend  fastmg,  or  abstinence,  both  by  precept  and 
example?  Are  you  in  debt?"  The  election  of  the  con- 
ference admits  him  to  full  membership,  and  election  and 
ordination  to  the  office  of  deacon.  The  ordination,  for  the 
right  performance  of  which  a  form  is  given  in  the  Disci- 
pline, solemnly  requires  profession  of  faith,  an  inward  call 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a  promise  to  do  the  work  of  a 
minister  of  Christ. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  process  of  trial  and  exam- 
ination which  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  pursues  in 
regard  to  the  ministry.  We  need  not  say  that  it  is  safe  and 
efficient;  and,  if  tested  by  the  Bible,  we  are  persuaded  that 
no  other  Church  will  be  found  to  approach  nearer  Scrip- 
tural principles  and  practice  in  this  matter  than  she.  And 


CHAP.  V.3       ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.  121 

without  instituting  invidious  comparisons,  we  remark  that 
she  has  no  cause  to  alter  her  plan  of  procedure  in  hope  of 
embracing  a  better  one. 

Mr.  Roberts  passed  through  all  the  gradations  mentioned 
above  with  entire  satisfaction  to  the  Church,  and  was  con- 
sidered among  the  most  promising  ministers  of  his  time. 

In  1804  he  was  stationed  on  Frederick  circuit,  Mary- 
land, embracing  within  its  bounds  the  place  of  his  birth. 
But  as  tlie  General  conference  commenced  the  following 
week  in  Baltimore,  he  purposed  to  attend.  He  had  no 
seat,  none  being  members  but  elders.  He  went  as  a  spec- 
tator, and,  with  the  other  spectators,  was  permitted  to  sit  in 
the  gallery  a  part  of  the  time.  At  this  conference  the  fathers 
of  Methodism,  and  many  of  the  elder  brethren,  Coke,  As- 
bury,  Whatcoat,  Walters,  Garrctson,  the  Lees,  Cooper, 
Willis,  G.  Roberts,  &c.,  were  present.  The  conference 
resolved  to  review  and  revise  the  entire  book  of  Discipline, 
The  whole  was  consequently  read  and  passed  by  a  vote  of 
the  conference.  When  they  came  to  the  eighth  article  of  re- 
ligion, a  brother  rose  up  and  moved  to  strike  out  the  word 
'■^ preventing,''^  and  insert  in  its  place  the  word  ^^assist- 
ing.'' Dr.  Coke  waited  impatiendy  for  the  member  to 
finish  his  argument  in  favor  of  the  alteration,  and  the 
instant  he  had  done  the  Doctor  was  on  his  feet,  and  at  the 
top  of  his  voice  exclaimed,  "  Where  am  I  ?  In  a  Methodist 
conference  ?  I  thought  so ;  but  have  we  turned  Pelagians  ? 
Do  we  think  we  can  get  along  in  our  natural  depravity 
with  a  little  assistance,  without  preventing  grace?  But 
perhaps  our  brother  has  mistaken  the  meaning  of  the  word 
preventing,  and  taken  it  in  the  common  acceptation  of 
hindering?''  He  then  proceeded  to  remark  that  the  pro- 
posed amendment  would  mar — yea,  ruin  the  article,  and 
accommodate  it  to  the  views  of  every  Pelagian.  The  arti- 
cle, as  it  now  stands,  first  asserts  the  utter  inability  of  man 
to  do  any  thing  toward  his  personal  salvation:  "/Te  can- 
11 


122  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  ITINERANCY.       [cHAP.  V. 

not,'"  &c. ;  and,  secondly,  it  asserts  the  grace  of  God,  by 
Christ,  as  coming  in  before.  For  the  word  prevent  is 
derived  from  pre,  before,  and  venio,  J  come.  He  con- 
cluded his  remarks  by  observing,  "Brethren,  do  not  change 
that  word.  I  would  go  to  the  stake — yes,  to  the  stake,  for 
that  word,  as  soon  as  for  any  word  in  the  Bible." 

There  was  considerable  discussion  on  numerous  other 
topics,  which  called  forth  a  diversity  of  argumentation  and 
a  variety  of  feeling.  Mr.  Roberts,  at  this  early  age  of  his 
ministry,  and  from  his  want  of  acquaintance  with  ecclesi- 
astical bodies,  was  not  very  well  pleased  on  the  whole, 
especially  as  after  two  days  all  spectators  were  excluded,  he 
in  common  with  the  rest. 

When  conferences  assemble  and  discuss  a  variety  of  sub- 
jects, of  course  a  variety  of  opinions  must  exist;  and  there 
is,  therefore,  great  need  of  watchfulness  and  prayer.  Our 
pious  fore-fathers,  in  conducting  the  business  of  both  Gen- 
eral and  annual  conferences,  adopted  the  following  excel- 
lent regulations  and  advices,  to  which  all  preachers  would 
do  well  to  take  heed : 

"It  is  desired  that  all  things  be  considered  on  these  occa- 
sions as  in  the  immediate  presence  of  God :  that  every  per- 
son speak  freely  whatever  is  in  his  heart. 

"  Quest.  1.  How  may  we  best  improve  our  time  at  the 
conferences  ? 

•■^  ^Insw.  1.  While  we  are  conversing,  let  us  have  an 
especial  care  to  set  God  always  before  us. 

"2.  In  the  intermediate  hours,  let  us  redeem  all  the  time 
we  can  for  private  exercises. 

".3.  Therein  let  us  give  ourselves  to  prayer  for  one 
another,  and  for  a  blessing  on  our  labor." 

Preachers,  without  any  real  wrong  temper,  may  not  be 
aware  that  the  appearance  of  it,  and  even  the  free  expres- 
sion of  different  views,  often  produce  unfavorable  impres- 
sions on  the  minds  of  spectato'-s ;  and  therefore  the  kindest 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  133 

feelings  and  the  most  respectful  language  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed on  all  such  occasions.  On  the  other  hand,  spectators 
ought  to  consider  that  a  manly  tone  of  voice  may  be  used, 
a  prompt  and  ready  reply  adopted,  and  all  the  force 
of  strong  argument  brought  forward  during  an  animated 
debate,  and  yet  the  best  Christian  temper  may  be  mutually 
enjoyed  and  exercised.  Ministers,  on  these  occasions,  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  are  not  properly  engaged  in  relig- 
ious exercises,  and,  of  course,  a  different  tone  and  man- 
ner, but  dignified  and  sober,  may  be  allowed  them.  Mr. 
Roberts,  like  many  others,  had  an  idea  that  debates  should 
be  conducted  in  precisely  the  same  mode  as  preaching  and 
praying.  In  attending  the  General  conference  he  found  this 
was  not  done,  and  hence  his  unpleasant  feelings. 

The  plans  of  closed  and  open  doors  have  both  their 
advocates.  With  closed  doors,  some  of  the  business  of  an- 
nual conferences  ought  to  be  done.  Such,  however,  are  the 
prejudices  and  views  of  many,  that  open  doors  are  more  desi- 
red, and,  therefore,  of  late  years,  conferences  have  generally 
followed  this  plan,  except  in  the  examination  of  character. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY. 

As  we  remarked  in  the  last  chapter,  he  received  his 
appointment  in  1804,  on  Frederick  circuit,  Maryland.  It 
embraced  Frederick  county,  part  of  Baltimore  county,  and 
the  greater  part  of  Washington  county.  James  Smith  was 
his  colleague,  D.  Hitt  his  presiding  elder,  and  he  himself 
had  charge  of  the  circuit. 

He  left  his  wife  at  the  place  where  she  resided  the  previ- 
ous year,  and  went  one  round  on  his  circuit.  While  on 
this  round,  he  got  her  a  residence  for  the  year,  at  the  house 


124  CONTINUANCE  fN  THE  ITINERANCY.    [[cHAP.  VI. 

of  Lewis  Browning,  in  an  upper  room,  with  the  privilege 
of  cooking  in  the  kitchen.  As  there  was  no  provision  on 
circuits  in  those  days  for  families,  it  was  necessary,  as 
before  remarked,  to  go  around  the  circuit,  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain where  a  temporary  resting  place  could  be  found. 
Neither  the  expense  of  moderate  boarding,  nor  of  renting 
a  house,  could  be  defrayed  at  this  time  by  Mr.  Roberts. 
He  was,  therefore,  compelled  to  observe  the  most  rigid 
economy.  The  plan  just  mentioned  was  the  only  one  he 
could  fall  on  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  his  family, 
small  as  they  were.  Mrs.  Roberts,  by  her  own  industry, 
and  great  economy,  was  very  little  expense  to  the  Church. 
Indeed,  she  may  be  said  to  have  supported  herself ;  and  in 
no  other  way  could  her  husband  have  continued  in  the 
itinerant  ranks. 

On  his  first  or  second  round,  he  preached  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  spot  where  he  was  born.  The  fol- 
lowing day  he  visited  an  aunt,  who  was  old,  and  resided 
about  a  mile  distant.  She  had  heard  nothing  of  his  becom- 
ing a  Methodist  preacher,  and  knew  not  where  he  was. 
He  went  to  her  house,  as  a  stranger,  and  on  entering  she 
inquired  where  he  was  from,  and  also  what  was  his  name. 
On  his  answering  her  questions,  she  arose  from  her  seat, 
kindly  welcomed  him,  and  observed,  "  I  am  the  person  who 
put  the  first  clothing  on  you."  As  soon,  however,  as  she 
learned  tliat  he  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  she  became  much 
displeased,  as  she  was  High  Church  in  her  principles.  She 
questioned  him  concerning  the  character  of  his  excellent 
father,  and  insisted  that  he  was  truly  religious  before  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  Methodists.  She  said  she  did  not 
like  "  turn-coats."  To  these  and  many  other  similar  remarks 
made  by  his  good  aunt,  he  replied  in  his  own  mild  way,  that 
he  never  had  had  a  coat  until  he  got  among  the  Methodists. 
After  considerable  conversation,  which  on  her  part  at  first 
wau  spirited  and  high-toned,  she  softened  down  into  affec- 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINVANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  125 

tionate  regard  for  her  long  absent  nephew,  and  proposed 
that  he  would  pray  with  her,  to  which  he  readily  agreed. 
He  continued  his  friendly  visits,  whenever  he  could,  which 
were  cordially  received  by  his  aunt,  and  doubtless  were 
blessed  to  her  spiritual  comfort. 

On  this  circuit,  the  followers  of  Otterbein  were  very 
numerous.  They  were  exceedingly  kind  to  Mr.  Roberts, 
opened  their  houses  for  hira  to  preach  in,  and  entertained 
him  cordially.  At  a  place  called  Middletown,  he  preached 
several  times  in  their  meeting-house.  They  were  a  very 
devoted  people,  and  had  good  meetings.  As  they  were  not 
then  organized  into  a  Church,  he  was  desirous  that  they 
should  be,  and  thought  they  had  better  join  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  conversed  with  them  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  they  appeared  willing  so  to  do.  On  his  next 
round,  he  proposed  to  admit  such  as  wished  to  unite;  when 
about  thirty  acted  on  his  proposition.  Among  the  number 
were  three  preachers.  This  step  gave  offense  to  some  of 
their  friends,  and  the  result  was,  that  several  of  those  who 
had  joined  withdrew  shordy  afterward,  and  among  them 
two  of  the  preachers.  The  other  preacher,  John  Everhart, 
remained  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  had 
been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  under  Washington.  One 
day  in  battle,  his  horse  was  shot  under  him,  and  he  was 
taken  prisoner.  In  moving  along,  he  got  separated  from 
those  who  had  charge  of  him.  While  on  his  way  he  found 
a  pistol,  which  he  secreted  under  his  coat.  A  British 
horseman  happened  to  ride  slowly  along  without  seeing 
him.  Mr.  Everhart  stepped  up  to  him,  presented  the  pistol 
to  his  breast,  and  told  him  he  was  his  prisoner.  The 
horseman  surrendered  and  dismounted.  Mr.  Everhart  took 
the  horse,  dismissed  his  prisoner,  mounted  the  steed  him- 
self, rode  off  in  a  circuitous  route  and  joined  his  own  troops. 
At  his  conversion,  he  became  a  devoted  Christian,  and 
subsequently  a  useful  minister. 

11* 


126  CONTINCANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCV.    [cHAP.  VI. 

On  this  circuit,  Harper's  Ferry  was  included  in  his  list 
of  appointments,  but  no  congregation  would  convene  there. 
During  the  two  or  three  first  rounds,  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts 
punctually  attended  this  place,  but  did  not  preach,  for  the 
reason  just  assigned.  The  good  lady  at  whose  house  he 
staid,  and  who  was  also  a  devoted  Christian,  observed  to 
him,  "  Brother  Roberts,  I  want  to  hear  you  preach."  He 
responded,  that  he  was  not  only  willing,  but  anxious  so  to 
do,  and  all  that  prevented  him  was  the  want  of  a  congrega- 
tion. At  that  time  she  said  no  more,  and  the  conversation 
changed.  But  the  pious  sister  was  too  zealous  to  settle 
down  in  inactivity.  She  formed  the  plan  of  having  a  large 
quilting  on  hand  at  the  time  of  his  next  visit.  Accordingly, 
she  made  the  preparations,  and  secured  the  attendance  of 
her  female  neighbors,  by  which  means  a  large  collection  of 
persons  was  brought  together.  Whether  she  advised  them 
of  her  design  we  cannot  say.  It  is  probable  she  did,  as  no 
dissatisfaction  was  manifested  at  the  result.  Or  it  might  be 
that  she  left  the  disclosure  of  her  design  to  the  occasion. 
At  any  rate,  Mr.  Roberts  happened  to"get  there  early  in  the 
day.  He  found  the  house  was  filled  with  women,  closely 
engaged  in  making  two  quilts.  The  good  lady  having  thus 
succeeded  in  collecting  a  respectable  congregation,  the  quilts, 
on  the  arrival  of  the  preacher,  were  lifted  up,  and  the  room 
adjusted  so  as  to  seat  all  the  guests.  Mr.  Roberts  then 
preached  to  them ;  and  they  were  so  well  pleased  with  his 
discourse,  that  they  determined  to  become  constant  hearers. 
Each,  at  home,  expatiated  on  the  rare  qualities  of  the 
preacher  who  officiated  on  this  novel  occasion.  The  next 
appointment  was  announced  ere  the  quilting  closed  which 
was  well  remembered  by  the  good  ladies,  and  where  forget- 
fulness  was  suspected,  the  sister  at  whose  house  the  quilting 
and  preaching  were  united,  was  not  backward  to  bestir  or 
keep  alive  memory.  As  might  be  expected,  Mr.  Roberts 
and  his  coming  appointment,  became  the  principal  topic  of 


CHAP.  Vl  ]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  127 

table  talk  in  the  several  houses  of  the  neighborhood ;  and 
when  the  day  and  hour  arrived,  the  curiosity  of  numbers 
was  raised  to  hear  the  quilting-room  preacher.  After  this, 
even  until  he  left  the  circuit,  there  was  never  again  any  lack 
of  a  congregation,  either  at  one  of  his  regular  appointments 
or  on  a  special  occasion. 

Early  in  the  fall,  Mrs.  Roberts'  mother  died.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Roberts  visited  her  shortly  after  she  was  taken  sick. 
Mrs.  Roberts  remained  sometime,  administering  to  her 
necessities. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1804,  or  rather  in  the  early  part  of 
winter,  he  and  his  wife  resolved  to  visit  their  relatives  at 
Shenango.  They  traveled  on  horse-back,  carrying  their 
provisions  for  the  journey  in  their  saddle-bags,  with  sucli 
utensils  as  would  enable  them  to  cook  for  themselves  when 
necessary.  They  also  took  two  blankets  to  protect  them- 
selves from  cold,  in  case  they  should  have  to  encamp  in  the 
woods  during  the  night.  A  lady  traveled  along  with  them 
to  iSomcrset.  One  evening  they  put  up  at  a  "  waste  cabin," 
and  spent  the  night  there,  having  procured  some  hay  for 
their  horses.  Another  night  they  staid  at  a  most  miserable 
cabin,  cooked  their  own  victuals,  and  made  their  bed  for 
the  night,  on  a  heap  of  unwinnowed  flax-seed,  using  their 
own  bed-clothes.  After  paying  a  short  visit  to  their  relatives, 
Mr.  Roberts  left  his  wife  with  them,  and  returned  to  his 
circuit.  Mrs.  Roberts  remained  at  Shenango  till  the  sitting 
of  the  Baltimore  conference  in  the  following  April. 

This  economical  way  of  traveling  was  the  only  one 
which  they  could  adopt.  They  had  very  little  property  of 
their  own,  and  that  little  was  not  avadable  for  the  present 
use,  and  moreover  they  received  a  very  small  remuneration 
on  their  circuit.  Reasons  of  economy,  too,  influenced  them 
more  or  less,  in  Mrs.  Roberts'  staying  with  their  relatives 
during  the  winter  and  spring.  As  they  had  a  house  of  thefr 
own,  poor  though  it  was,  on  their  land  at  Shenango,  it  was 


128  CONTIKUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.    [cHAP.  VI, 

not  marvelous,  that  after  being  three  years  without  a  regu- 
lar residence,  sometimes  boarding  with  other  persons,  and 
sometimes  dwelling  in  the  upper  room  of  a  house  occupied 
by  a  different  family;  and  then,  even  the  small  expense 
thus  incurred  not  being  met  without  the  rigid  economy  of 
traveling  in  the  way  just  mentioned — we  say  it  was  not 
marvelous  that  any  shelter,  even  their  old  cabin,  should 
prove  a  desirable  retreat  for  them.  Such  was  the  modesty 
and  independence  of  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts  that  he  would  say 
nothing  to  any  person  in  regard  to  want,  whatever  might  be 
his  sufferings.  Mrs.  Roberts,  likewise,  would  much  rather 
work  for  herself,  and  live  on  the  smallest  allowance,  than 
make  known  their  circumstances.  But  what  could  she  do 
when  she  was  constantly  among  strangers  ?  She  could  not 
carry  with  her  a  loom  and  wheel,  and  flax  and  wool; 
neither  could  she  cultivate  a  garden ;  nor  adopt  any  such 
regulations.  To  dwell  in  her  oton  cabin,  though  but  twelve 
feet  square,  and  to  have  all  the  privileges  connected  with 
house-keeping  on  a  farm,  though  but  partially  cultivated, 
and,  moreover,  to  be  in  the  possession  of  independence — to 
reside  where  she  was  not  in  the  way  of  others,  had  attrac- 
tions to  both  of  them  which  few  can  well  appreciate  who 
have  not  been  in  similar  circumstances. 

After  leaving  his  wife  at  Shenango  to  spend  the  winter 
there,  Mr.  Roberts,  as  already  stated,  returned  to  his  cir- 
cuit and  remained  till  conference,  which  was  in  April, 
1805,  serving  the  people  of  his  charge  with  great  fidelity, 
and  very  much  to  their  satisfaction  and  profit.  The  con- 
ference sat  in  Winchester,  Virginia.  He  received  his 
appointment  to  Shenango  circuit,  which  then  embraced 
Buder  and  Beaver  counties,  Pennsylvania,  and  extended 
into  Ohio  as  far  as  Yellow  Creek,  where  Wellsville  now 
stands,  and  contained  several  appointments  in  the  Western 
Reserve.  It  did  not,  however,  embrace  that  part  of  Mercer 
county  where  his  land  was  located,  or,  indeed,  any  part 


CHAP.  VI.]   CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  129 

thereof.  The  nearest  point  to  his  home  was  between 
twenty  and  thirty  miles  distant. 

At  this  time  there  was  no  Methodist  preaching  in  Pitts- 
burg; and  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Wrenshall  and  others,  he 
agreed  to  serve  them.  Having  no  fixed  place  to  hold  meet- 
ing in,  he  preached  in  the  old  court-house.  Some  rude 
persons,  however,  commenced  dancing  up  stairs,  which 
so  annoyed  the  congregation  that  he  had  to  desist.  He 
then  went  to  Mr.  Wrenshall's  back  yard.  There  also  the 
congregation  was  disturbed  by  the  same  rude  persons 
throwing  apples  and  sticks  at  the  preacher.  Nevertheless 
he  continued  his  labors  among  them,  regulating  the  society, 
and  making  a  favorable  impression  on  the  public  by  hia 
able  ministrations,  his  kind  manner,  and  dignified  de- 
meanor. 

At  this  time  there  was  great  excitement  among  the  Pres- 
byterians, in  consequence  of  the  falling,  as  it  was  then 
generally  called.  Many,  under  the  word,  and  in  other 
religious  meetings,  fell  prostrate  on  the  ground,  and  cried 
to  God  for  mercy.  This  was  very  much  opposed  by  the 
Seceders  and  Unionists,  which  called  forth  considerable 
controversy.  The  Presbyterians  themselves  were  greatly- 
divided  on  the  subject;  some  condemning  tlie  practice,  and 
others  heartily  defending  and  maintaining  it,  while  many 
preferred  remaining  silent. 

Traveling  on  Slippery  Rock  one  day,  Mr.  Roberts . 
stopped  to  get  his  horse  fed.  The  gentleman  of  the  house  , 
was  not  at  home.  The  lady  and  her  daughter  supposed- 
Mr.  Roberts,  from  his  dress,  to  be  a  minister,  and  were 
very  desirous  to  know  whether  he  was  a  Seceder  or  Pres- 
byterian. They  asked  several  questions  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain his  opinion  about  the  matter  just  referred  to,  and  as  he 
expressed  himself  favorably,  they  took  it  for  granted  that 
he  was  a  Presbyterian.  During  the  conversation,  they  said 
some  ill-natured  things  about  the  Methodists,  but  he  let  them 


130  CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.    [cHAF.  VI. 

pass  without  any  opposing  remarks.  After  dinner,  when 
he  was  about  to  leave,  the  lady  requested  him  to  stay,  and 
on  the  following  day  go  to  the  church,  as  Mr.  Woods,  their 
preacher,  would  bo  very  glad  to  see  him.  He  told  her  that 
he  could  not  go,  as  he  had  an  appointment  himself.  She 
then  wished  to  know  if  he  was  seeking  a  call  from  some 
congregation.  He  replied  that  he  already  had  congrega- 
tions. At  which  she  remarked  she  had  never  heard  of  one 
of  his  name  having  a  congregation  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  He  informed  her  that  the  people  of  his  charge 
embraced  more  citizens  than  the  charge  of  any  other  min- 
ister in  that  region.  She  then  inquired  where  it  was.  He 
answered  her  by  giving  in  detail  a  list  of  all  the  appoint- 
ments on  his  circuit,  at  which  she  expressed  great  surprise. 
He  then  remarked  that  lie  was  one  of  those  people  to  whom 
she  was  not  very  friendly.  "Not  a  Methodist!"  she  ex- 
claimed, raising  her  hands  in  surprise.  "Yes,"  he  re- 
plied. "Well,"  she  added,  "no  person  could  have  taken 
you  for  one."  After  some  further  conversation,  the  lady 
invited  him  to  call  again.  They  parted  good  friends  ;  and 
he  called  frequently  afterward,  she  always  treating  him 
with  great  kindness. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  quarterly  meeting,  he  was 
transferred  to  Erie  circuit  by  his  presiding  elder,  Rev. 
James  Hunter,  for  liis  own  accommodation,  as  his  family 
lived  within  its  bounds.  He  had  commenced  building  a 
mill;  and  he  thought  it  required  more  of  his  superinten- 
dence than  he  could  give  while  attending  to  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  the  Shenango  circuit.  The  reason  why  he 
commenced  this  building  was,  that  he  had  but  litde  support 
from  the  Church,  and  he  thought  his  family  could  be  main- 
tained by  the  proceeds  of  the  mill,  and  thus  he  would  be 
relieved  from  anxiety  on  that  account.  The  spare  time 
he  had  while  on  liis  circuit  was  employed  in  the  hard  work 
of  erecting  the  mill.    And  it  is  not  improbable  that  he  may 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  131 

have  been  led  to  spend  more  time  in  this  undertaking  than 
the  interests  of  the  Church  would  fully  allow.  At  least 
some  were  pleased  to  think  so,  and  his  conduct  called  forth 
the  remark  from  a  zealous  person  who,  nevertheless, 
highly  prized  Mr.  Roberts'  talents  and  usefulness :  "  It 
would  be  well  for  the  people  if  his  wife  were  dead,  and 
the  mill  swept  down  the  river."  The  observation,  as  far  as 
it  concerned  Mrs.  Roberts,  was  an  unchristian  one,  as  she 
was  always  opposed  to  the  erection  of  the  mill.  It  was  her 
ardent  desire,  not  only  then,  but  also  before  and  after,  that 
her  husband  should  spend  his  whole  time  in  discharging 
his  duties  to  the  Church.  Her  wants  were  few,  and  she 
could  supply  them  herself,  and  she  was  willing  to  use  all 
possible  economy  and  industry,  so  that  he  would  not  be 
impeded  by  her  in  his  ministerial  career.  Besides,  the 
zealous  brother  who  made  the  remark  may  iiave  been,  and 
we  think  was,  one  of  those  who,  after  enjoying  Church 
privileges  for  many  years,  can  thank  God  that  their  mem- 
bership never  cost  them  six  cents. 

Bishop  Roberts'  own  comment  on  this  subject  is  of 
great  value.  It  was  given  in  1842,  thirty-seven  years  after 
the  occurrence  just  mentioned.  He  says,  "I  would  here 
advise  all  preachers  never  to  quit  the  work  of  the  Lord  to 
serve  tables.  However  fair  their  prospects  of  making 
money  may  be,  they  are  frequendy  delusive,  and  such  min- 
isters are  losers  in  the  end.  As  I  had  but  little  support 
from  quarterage,  I  thought  my  family  could  be  maintained 
by  a  mill,  and  I  should  be  better  able  to  travel  without 
anxiety.  But  it  was  not  so:  it  embarrassed  my  mind,  and 
took  up  my  attention;  and,  though  for  a  while  it  did  well, 
it  eventually  proved  a  loss."  On  these  few  remarks  of  the 
good  Bishop,  we  will  hazard  a  few  thoughts. 

1.  It  is  the  duty  of  Church  members  to  provide  for  the 
support  of  ministers  and  their  families,  in  the  style  of 
medium  life,  with  neither  poverty  or  riches.     Not  in 


132  CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.    [cHAP.  VI. 

poverty,  or  tlie  ministry  will  sink  into  contempt  and  use- 
lessness.  Not  in  riches,  as  this  holds  out  a  strong  bait  to 
induce  worldly  men  to  enter  the  sacred  office,  and  tends 
to  corrupt  them.  The  prayer  of  Agur  comprises  the  proper 
standard  for  ministerial  support:  "  Give  me  neither  poverty 
nor  riches ;  feed  me  with  food  convenient  for  me;  lest  I  be 
full  and  deny  thee,  and  say,  who  is  the  Lord?  or  lest  I  be 
poor  and  steal,  and  take  the  name  of  my  God  in  vain," 
Prov.  XXX,  8,  9.  A  ministry,  unaccompanied  with  the  advan- 
tages of  matrimonial  life,  is  the  most  inefficient,  corrupt  and 
expensive  in  the  world.  As  far  as  this  obtained  formerly 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  it  tended  to  produce  an 
inexperienced  and  unqualified  body  of  ministers,  though 
neither  corrupt  nor  expensive.  In  the  Church  of  Rome, 
however,  corruption  in  morals  and  expense  have  attended 
the  celibacy  all  along.  Their  clergy  have  for  centuries 
been  the  most  expensive  in  the  world.  Not  having  wives 
to  superintend  their  concerns,  and  generally  keeping  house, 
the  demands  of  their  families,  composed  of  relatives,  and 
mostly  a  house-keeper,  who  sustains  various  relations  to 
to  the  clergyman,  become  enormous.  All  the  ecclesiastical 
establishments  in  Europe,  England  not  excepted,  were 
adapted  to  a  celibate  clergy.  A  few  influential  men,  too,  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  great  worth,  the  fatliers 
of  the  Church,  countenanced  the  plan  of  ministerial  celibacy, 
thinking  it  would  furnish  cheap  pastors  ;  and  by  this  means 
in  some  conferences  the  preachers  were  inefficient,  being 
young,  inexperienced  men,  ministers  of  families  not  entering 
the  itinerant  ranks,  and  those  of  families  who  had  already 
entered,  abandoning  their  field  of  labor  to  provide  for  their 
families. 

2.  Ministers  ought  not  to  devote  themselves  to  worldly 
matters,  but  solely  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  This  is 
indispensable.  Whatever  they  may  suffer  in  the  work, 
they  arc  likely  to  sufl^er  more  by  leaving  it,  if  efficient 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  133 

workmen.  After  an  experience  of  twenty-five  years,  during 
which  we  have  had  many  opportunities  of  observation,  the 
three  following  statements  are,  to  our  own  mind,  supported 
by  the  facts  in  the  case. 

Those  who  have  made  the  ministry  their  great  work, 
and  have  continued  in  it,  have,  with  economy  and  diffi- 
culty, been  enabled  to  support  their  families;  and  moreover 
their  families  have  fared  better,  taking  all  things  into 
consideration,  than  they  tvould  if  they  had  left  the  minis- 
try;  and  also  better  than  the  families  of  those  who  actually 
did  leave  for  ivorldly  gain  and  family  convenience. 

Those  who  have  left  the  work  of  the  ministry ,  for  family 
convenience,  have  suffered  more,  spiritually,  mentally  and 
temporally,  than  those  who  continued  therein  under  similar 
circumstances.  Their  families  too  fared  worse  in  the 
end.  And  they  have  besides,  had  trials,  poverty  and 
sorrows,  to  ivhich  those  have  been  strangers  who  continued 
doing  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

Those  who  have  declined  supporting  the  ministry  are 
no  richer ;  and  those  who  have  done  their  duty  in  this 
respect  are  no  poorer,  but  the  contrary. 

We  have  seen  these  three  statements  verified  by  a  multi- 
tude of  facts,  which  could  be  adduced,  had  we  sufficient 
space  in  this  volume. 

3.  The  foregoing  remarks  are  sustained  by  the  con- 
sideration, that  worldly  prosperity  will  rarely  succeed 
dereliction  of  duty.  Mr.  Roberts  built  his  mill,  probably 
by  appropriating  time  to  the  purpose  that  ought  to  have 
been  spent  in  the  ministry.  The  results  were,  1st.  He  was 
perplexed  and  harassed  in  mind.  2d.  His  mill  never 
refunded  the  money  spent  in  building  it. 

Happy  would  it  be  for  the  ministers  and  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  were  due  attention  paid  to 
these  important  things.  'Y\\e  sad  effects  of  the  errors  we 
have  mentioned,  remain  in  our  midst  to  the  present  time. 
12 


1 34  CONTINUANCE  IN"  THE  ITINERANCY.    [cHAP.  VI. 

They  have  in  part  been  done  away ;  while  in  part  they  still 
remain.  Perhaps  a  generation  or  two  will  apply  a  remedy 
to  this  incalculable  evil.  The  advice  of  the  venerable 
Roberts  is  wortliy  of  notice  by  all  concerned. 

His  colleague  on  Erie  circuit,  was  Joseph  A.  Shackleford. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  faith  and  zeal,  and  mighty  in  prayer. 
He  was  also  very  successful  in  his  ministry.  They  labored 
most  harmoniously  together.  At  their  last  quarterly  meeting 
the  presiding  elder  was  not  present,  but  much  good  was  done. 

They  finished  their  labors  in  the  neighborhood  where 
Mr.  Roberts'  family  resided.  They  held  three  meetings 
successively.  The  first  was  in  the  house  of  a  well  dis- 
posed Presbyterian,  who  had,  in  consequence  of  his  educa- 
tion, strong  prejudices  against  the  Methodists.  Neveitheless 
he  was  a  particular  friend  of  Mr.  Roberts,  holding  him  in 
high  esteem.  His  daughter  went  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Roberts  for  the  purpose  of  attending  meeting.  During  the 
sermon  she  became  awakened,  and  was  very  much  exercised 
on  the  subject  of  religion.  In  consequence,  her  father 
refused  her  permission  to  remain  at  home.  He  had,  how- 
ever, previously  invited  Mr.  Roberts  to  preach  in  a  new 
house  he  was  building,  and  as  he  said  to  "  christen  it." 
When  the  house  was  finished  he  repeated  the  invitation, 
which  was  accepted.  The  congregation  that  attended  was 
large,  and  the  people  were  much  affected,  amongst  whom 
was  the  owner  of  the  house.  On  tlie  next  Salibath  he  and 
thirty  others  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

He  and  Mr.  Shackleford  went  to  Baltimore  to  attend  the 
conference.  He  was  there  ordained  elder.  A  fac  simile  of 
his  credentials  is  given  on  the  opposite  page.  He  was 
returned  to  Erie  circuit.  Thornton  Fleming  was  his  presi- 
ding elder,  and  James  Watts  his  colleague. 

The  circuit  was  large,  embracing  all  the  territory  now 
included  in  the  Erie  conference,  except  the  part  in  New 
York  state.    It  required  six  weeks  to  go  round  it. 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  137 

Notwithstanding,  he  had  sufficient  work  to  do  on  his  cir- 
cuit, he  possessed  a  missionary  spirit,  and  therefore  enlarged 
the  field  of  his  labors.  He  went  into  New  York  state  and 
commenced  preaching,  at  the  Beech  Flats,  near  Jamestown. 
On  his  way  there,  he  stopped  at  a  house,  and  prayed  with 
the  family.  The  mother  was  very  much  interested  in  the 
prayer;  and  what  made  her  more  so  was,  that  it  was  the 
first  which  her  daughter,  then  a  young  woman,  had  ever 
heard.  The  year  was  one  of  peace,  but  not  of  great 
prosperity. 

I  During  the  year  he  preached  in  Meadville,  at  a  tavern. 
It  was  a  cold  night,  and  while  preaching  he  kept  on  his 
over-coat.  He  was  rather  late  in  beginning.  In  the  course 
of  the  sermon,  he  was  expostulating  in  language  similar  to 
the  following :  "  If  you  want  honor,  it  is  more  honorable  to 
serve  God  than  the  devil.  If  a  man  want  pleasure,  he 
need  not  go  to  Satan  for  it,  as  he  has  been  a  stranger  to  it 
for  more  than  five  thousand  years.  If  he  want  riches,  were 
he  to  sweep  hell  he  could  not  find  a  sixpence."  At  this  a 
little  man  raised  his  head  in  a  corner  of  the  house,  and  said, 
"Why,  sir!  then  money  is  scarce  there  as  well  as  here." 
All,  however,  were  attentive,  and  treated  the  preacher  with 
great  civility.j 

At  Coneaut,  near  Waterford,  there  was  a  large  congre- 
gation. On  one  occasion,  the  snow  was  deep,  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  he  was  late,  and  on  his  arrival  the 
congregation  had  collected.  He  preached  and  met  class. 
They  had  a  lively  meeting,  and  it  was  proposed  to  have 
preaching  in  the  evening,  which  was  agreed  on.  Many  of 
tlie  people  remained.  There  was  no  sign  of  dinner,  how- 
ever, and  as  he  had  eaten  nothing  since  early  in  thc'morning, 
he  took  the  liberty  of  going  into  the  kitchen,  just  before 
night,  and  getting  a  supply  of  what  was  indispensable  under 
the  circumstances.  The  meeting  continued  till  nine  or  ten 
o'clock,  the  exercises  being  very  interesting. 

12* 


188  CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITlJjERANCY.    [cHAP.  Vl. 

On  the  following  day,  as  he  was  about  starting  to  Lex- 
ington, the  lady  of  the  house  proposed  to  ride  along 
with  him  a  few  miles  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  a  friend. 
As  snow  had  fallen,  of  course  the  surface  of  the  road  was 
not  perceptible.  In  passing  through  a  beech  flat,  the  lady's 
horse  stepped  on  some  roots,  and  his  foot  got  so  entangled 
among  them  that  he  could  not  extricate  it  with  all  his  best 
endeavors.  Mr.  Roberts,  therefore,  went  to  the  nearest  house 
and  borrowed  an  axe  ;  and  by  applying  it  to  the  roots,  set 
the  horse  at  liberty.  This  so  detained  him  that  night  began 
to  come  on  when  about  eight  or  ten  miles  from  his  appoint- 
ment. There  was  no  path  or  track,  and  he  had  to  steer  by 
the  blazes  or  marks  on  the  trees  which  pointed  out  the 
course.  About  sun-down,  he  arrived  at  a  small  uncomforta- 
ble cabin,  and  found  only  some  children  in  it,  the  parents 
not  being  at  home.  He  asked  if  he  could  stay  all  night, 
and  the  oldest  informed  him  that  he  could.  He  hesitated, 
not  knowing  what  to  do  for  the  best.  To  reach  his  place 
of  destination,  appeared  impracticable,  as  he  could  not  see 
the  blazes  on  the  trees.  The  appearance  of  things,  how- 
ever, in  and  around  the  house,  together  with  the  absence  of 
the  parents,  seemed  to  urge  him  to  go  on  ;  the  children  were 
very  dirty,  being  covered  over  with  bear's  grease,  and 
every  thing  around  was  in  keeping  with  their  persons. 
While  thus  pondering  the  matter  over,  and  asking  the 
children  some  questions,  the  mother  arrived,  her  personal 
appearance  being  no  better  than  the  children's.  He  inquired 
of  her,  also,  if  he  could  have  the  privilege  of  staying  during 
the  night,  to  which  she  cordially  assented,  though  she 
informed  him  that  they  had  no  bread  in  the  house,  nor 
any  thing  to  make  it  of.  He  alighted,  and  a  short  time 
afterward  the  father  himself  came  home  from  hunting.  He 
was  open  and  friendly,  and  treated  the  stranger  with  every 
mark  of  hospitality,  kindly  welcoming  him  to  the  best  he 
had.    He  had  no  grain  for  his  horse,  but  was  abundantly 


CHAP.  VI.3   CONTINUANCE  IN  THE^ITINERANCY."  139i 

supplied  with  good  hay,  which  he  furnished  most  willingly. 
On  the  day  previous  he  had  killed  a  large  bear  of  three 
hundred  pounds  weight ;  and  this  accounted  for  the  greasy 
clothes  and  faces  and  hands  of  the  whole  family,  as  well  as 
the  glossy  appearance  of  some  of  the  household  utensils, 
well  besmeared  as  they  were  with  the  oil.  For  supper,  the 
kind  woman  put  a  plentiful  supply  of  fat  bear's  meat,  in  a 
large  kettle  over  the  blazing  fire,  and  then  after  a  while 
filled  it  up  with  potatoes.  When  this  mixture  was  well 
boiled,  a  quantity  was  put  into  dishes,  and  set  on  a  table 
made  of  a  slab.  They  sat  down  to  the  repast ;  but  such 
was  its  uninviting  appearance,  that,  though  hungry,  Mr. 
Roberts  could  eat  but  very  little.  They  had  no  regular  bed 
for  their  guest  to  sleep  on;  they  furnished,  however,  as  a 
substitute,  a  moderate  supply  of  straw  spread  on  the  floor 
before  the  fire.  On  this  he  lay,  with  his  feet  toward  the 
fire,  his  saddle-bags  serving  for  a  pillow,  and  his  great-coat 
for  covering.  As  the  niglit  was  cold,  he  did,  not  get  much 
sleep.  Next  morning,  the  same  dish  was  prepared,  but  in 
somewhat  better  order,  which  rendered  it  more  palatable ; 
or  rather  an  increase  of  hunger  had  so  far  sharpened  the 
appetite  of  the  preacher,  as  to  overcome  his  fastidiousness. 

During  his  stay,  he  held  considerable  religious  conversa- 
tion with  the  father  of  the  family,  who  seemed  to  feel  the 
force  of  what  was  said.  Indeed  the  religious  views  and 
feelings  of  better  days  were  revived.  In  his  secluded  situa- 
tion, he  had  very  little  means  of  spiritual  improvement,  and 
the  call  of  the  minister  reminded  him  of  other  times.  At 
his  earnest  request,  Mr.  Roberts  baptized  several  of  his 
children,  adding  such  words  of  exhortation  as  were  best 
calculated  to  make  good  impressions  on  the  minds  of  the 
whole  household,  who,  as  already  stated,  entertained  him 
with  the  very  best  they  had,  in  the  kindest  manner. 

He  set  out  after  breakfast  for  Lexington,  his  next  appoint- 
ment, which  was  on  the  Sabbath  day.    Three  persons 


140  CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY     [CHAP.  Vl 

there,  who  professed  to  have  experienced  rehgion  some- 
time before,  and  who  had  been  raised  under  Baptist  influ- 
ence, wished  to  be  immersed.  He  had  never  before  wit- 
nessed baptism  by  immersion,  and  was  at  some  loss  to 
proceed  in  the  most  appropriate  manner.  The  weather 
was  very  cold.  After  preaching,  he  went  to  Coneaut 
Creek  and  immersed  them.  He  then  had  to  walk  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  place  where  he  lodged.  On  arriving 
there  his  clothes  were  frozen  quite  stiff.  He,  however, 
suffered  no  injury. 

While  he  fiUed  the  office  of  pastor  on  tlie  Erie  circuit, 
an  occurrence  took  place  between  him  and  a  Mr.  M'Lean, 
a  Seceder  minister,  who  resided  near  him,  which  may 
deserve  a  passing  notice.  The  following  are  substantially 
the  leading  points  of  the  matter :  Mr.  John  Leech,  Esq., 
an  influential  Methodist,  happened  to  lodge  at  a  house 
with  Mr.  M'Lean,  and  had  to  sleep  in  the  same  bed  with 
him.  They  both  entered  into  a  very  general  but  friendly 
conversation  on  the  subject  of  religion,  which  lasted  a  great 
part  of  the  night,  being  continued  after  they  had  gone  to 
bed.  Mr.  M'Lean  was  a  Calvinist  of  the  purest  kind,  of 
the  true  Seceder  school,  in  all  its  rigidity.  Mr.  Leech  was 
a  man  of  great  mildness,  but  very  firmly  grounded  in,  and 
well  acquainted  with,  Methodist  doctrines.  Each  main- 
tained his  side  of  the  question  with  great  tenacity.  But 
the  minister  asserted  that,  as  the  Methodists  were  very 
ignorant  people,  he  could  convince  them  of  the  error  of 
their  ways  in  one  discourse,  had  he  the  opportunity.  Mr. 
Leech  thought  otherwise ;  and  as  Mr.  M'Lean  very  ear- 
nestly requested  the  privilege,  he  promised  he  would 
endeavor  to  procure  a  place  for  him  to  preach  in  among 
them,  and  would  insure  attendance.  Accordingly,  the 
house  of  James  Walker  was  obtained.  Mr.  Leech  notified 
all  the  Methodists  to  attend ;  and  not  only  they,  but  most 
of  the  Presbyterians  and  Seceders,  and  others,  in  that  part 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  141 

of  the  country  were  present.  Mr.  Roberts,  hearing  of  the 
intended  discourse,  arranged  his  appointments  so  as  to  be 
there  also.  He  was  at  first  somewhat  embarrassed,  con- 
sidering the  advantages  and  pretensions  of  Mr.  M'Lean, 
and  his  own  slender  opportunities.  But  he  was  familiar 
with  Scripture,  and  the  arguments  adduced  by  Fletcher 
and  Wesley  on  his  side  of  the  question,  and  purposed 
being  present,  without  any  previous  design  of  furnishing 
a  reply. 

The  day  arrived,  and  a  large  congregation  attended.  The 
text  was,  "  Contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  delivered 
to  the  saints,"  and  the  sermon  was  about  four  hours  in 
length.    He  inquired, 

1.  Whether  Christ  died  for  all  the  sins  of  all  men.  He 
maintained  that  Christ  did  not  die  for  all  the  sins  of  all 
men;  for  then  all  men  must  be  saved. 

2.  Or  for  some  of  the  sins  of  all  men.  If  this  were  true 
then  none  could  be  saved. 

3.  Or  for  all  the  sins  of  some  men.  This  he  affirmed, 
for  some  only  would  be  saved. 

When  he  had  done,  Mr.  Roberts  requested  the  privilege 
of  reply,  which  Mr.  M'Lean  granted. 

Mr.  Roberts  then  gave  out  the  hymn, 
"Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow, 

The  gladly  solemn  sound,"  &c., 
which  was  sung  by  himself  and  his  Methodist  brethren 
with  the  full  amount  of  their  usual  animation. 

Mr.  Roberts  then  commenced  his  refutation.  He  took 
hold  of  Mr.  M'Lean's  propositions  and  assailed  them  with 
Scripture  and  argument  very  much  to  his  annoyance.  But 
this  Mr.  M'Lean  could  not  endure ;  and  when  Mr.  Rob- 
erts had  spoken  about  ten  minutes  he  interrupted  him. 
He  said  that,  as  a  Seceder,  he  could  not  hear  him  preach, 
and  then  proceeded  to  retire,  intimating  to  his  people  that 
he  wished  them  to  leave  with  him.    This  produced  con- 


142  CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.    [cHAP.  VI. 

siderable  commotion  in  the  congregation.  The  Seceders  at 
once  retired  with  their  minister,  the  Methodists  being  in  no 
very  good  humor  at  the  bigotry  of  the  minister  and  some  of 
his  people.  Mr.  Roberts  had  only  asked  fifteen  minutes 
more,  but  this  was  denied  him.  He,  therefore,  desisted 
for  the  sake  of  peace.  The  Seceders  generally  were  dis- 
pleased at  the  course  which  their  minister  took ;  and  ever 
after,  when  Mr.  Roberts  preached  in  their  neighborhood, 
even  down  to  his  last  visit  in  1841,  many  of  them  were 
among  his  hearers.  Such,  indeed,  was  his  kind  manner, 
even  on  points  of  controversy,  that  those  who  differed  from 
him  would  hear  him  gladly  and  without  offense. 

The  old  original  cabin,  twelve  feet  square,  during  his 
travels  east  of  the  mountains,  had  fallen  into  decay,  or,  be- 
coming too  small  for  the  occupants,  was  succeeded  by 
another.  This  was  what  is  called  a  double  cabin,  having  a 
cabin  at  each  end,  and  a  space  between  them  in  the  form 
of  a  hall.  It  ran  east  and  west.  The  whole  length  was 
thirty-four  feet  and  the  width  sixteen,  one  end  being  sixteen 
feet  long  and  the  other  twelve,  and  the  space  between  six  feet. 

The  east  end  was  the  smallest,  or  the  one  of  twelve  feet 
length  by  sixteen  in  width.  It  had  a  stone  chimney,  very 
rudely  built.  A  partition  divided  it  into  two  rooms,  one 
of  which  was  designed  for  a  study  or  preacher's  room. 
The  floors,  above  and  below,  were  laid.  There  was  a  six- 
light  window  in  each  room,  but  no  sash  to  raise.  The  door 
from  the  study,  or  the  southeastern  room,  opened  into  the 
porch  or  open  space  between  the  two  buildings.  A  door 
communicated  from  the  study  into  the  other  room,  which 
was  used  as  a  bed-room.  The  study  had  barely  space 
enough  for  a  bed,  table,  and  stool,  which  will  bring  to  the 
mind  very  naturally  its  dimensions  and  appearance.  There 
was  a  loft  over  this  end  of  the  building,  with  a  door  or  large 
hole  opening  into  the  porch,  a  loose  ladder  serving  in  the 
place  of  stairs. 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  143 

The  western,  or  larger  end  of  the  house,  was  sixteen 
feet  long,  and  the  same  in  width.  It  formed  one  room.  It 
had  a  wooden  chimney,  topped  off  with  cat  and  clay.  The 
floor  was  of  puncheons  from  four  to  ten  feet  long,  accord- 
ing to  the  space  designed  to  be  filled  by  them.  They  were 
nothing  more  than  thick  slabs  riven  from  logs  of  very  clear 
wood  which  splits  easy,  and  were  hewed  on  one  side,  and  on 
the  ends  of  the  other,  so  as  to  rest  level  on  the  sleepers. 
When  the  floor  was  laid,  they  were  smoothed  ofl'  into  one 
level  surface  by  the  adze :  the  saw  was  then  run  through 
the  joints  to  make  them  lie  close,  and  they  were  keyed  by 
two  large  wedges  on  one  side  of  the  floor  pressing  them 
closely  together.  When  the  puncheons  shrunk,  which  is 
always  the  case  with  green  ones,  they  were  keyed  anew, 
the  saw  again  being  run  between  the  joints,  and  the  whole 
made  tight  by  driving  the  wedges  closer.  When  the  work 
of  keying  is  neglected,  or  overlooked,  which  is  by  no 
means  uncommon,  large  crevices  admit  freely  the  wind, 
and  small  articles,  as  spoons,  knives,  &c.,  are  in  danger  of 
being  lost  by  falling  through.  The  loft  of  this  end  was 
supported  with  strong  round  poles  or  small  logs,  stripped 
of  the  bark.  The  flooring  first  adopted  was  of  loose  clap- 
boards, but  this  was  improved  by  substituting  loose  plank, 
carefully  breaking  the  joints  by  a  second  row  over  the  first. 
At  a  still  future  day  the  upper  floor  was  regularly  laid  by 
the  plough  and  groove,  and  nailing  the  plank  firmly  down. 
The  door  of  this  end  opened  toward  the  south,  which  was 
in  the  direction  of  the  spring,  and  just  adjoining  the  porch. 
There  was  a  hole  for  a  window  on  the  south  side  near  the 
western  end ;  but  this  was  never  converted  into  a  regular 
window:  the  rough  wooden  shutter  was  put  in  sometimes 
at  night,  and  fastened  with  wooden  pins.  No  improvement 
was  made  to  this,  even  after  R.  R.  Roberts  had  become  a 
Bishop.  The  lower  floor  too  of  this  end  retained  its 
puncheon  covering  to  the  very  last  of  his  residence  there. 


144  CONTINCANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.    [cHAP.  VI. 

The  logs  of  both  ends  of  the  building,  on  its  first  erec- 
tion, were  unhewed,  but  were  subsequently  scutched 
down  with  an  axe,  after  the  process  of  scoring  had  been 
attended  to.  The  scoring  was  done  with  a  common  axe, 
while  the  hewing  needed  the  broad  axe,  managed,  too,  by 
a  dexterous  hand. 

The  porch  hall,  or  space  between  the  two  ends,  was 
about  six  feet  wide,  and  was  laid  with  puncheons.  It 
answered  many  excellent  purposes.  One  part  of  it  was 
occupied  with  meal  and  flour  bags  or  barrels,  and  another 
was  used  in  summer  as  a  sitting  room :  it  was  also  the 
favorite  area  for  the  busy,  yet  necessary  exercise  of  the 
great  or  small  spinning-wheel,  during  the  summer  and  fall 
seasons. 

One  uniform  roof  covered  both  ends  and  the  intervening 
space.  Rows  of  poles  extended  from  end  to  end,  about  two 
and  a  half  feet  apart,  on  which  the  clapboards  rested.  The 
clapboards  were  boards  about  six  inches  wide  and  four 
feet  long,  riven  from  timber  which  split  readily  and  evenly. 
Other  rows  of  poles  were  laid  over  these  to  keep  them  in 
their  place.  When  displaced  by  accident,  or  worn  by  time, 
roofs  of  this  kind  invariably  leak  more  or  less,  in  the  time 
of  heavy  rains,  and  even  in  ordinary  rains,  when  the  wind 
blows  high.  But  there  is  a  remedy.  Wlien  the  leaking 
becomes  very  troublesome,  about  a  dozen  sugar  troughs  are 
placed  on  the  loft  under  where  the  leaking  is  greatest,  and 
thus  the  water  is  prevented  from  descending  to  the  lower 
floor.  With  such  a  remedy  as  this,  the  spaces  over  the  beds, 
are  generally  protected ;  and  as  to  the  other  parts  of  the  house, 
a  little  leaking  does  no  harm,  for  a  few  hours  of  sun-shine 
will  entirely  dry  all  up.  Small  inconveniences,  however, 
like  those  mentioned,  have  nothing  particularly  troublesome 
to  the  pioneer;  and  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts,  were 
entirely  at  home  under  such  circumstances. 

A  large  spring  of  pure,  soft  water,  issuing  from  the 


CHAP.  VI.]    CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY.  145 

slaty  sand-stone,  formed  a  little  pool  in  a  basin  worn  into 
the  solid  rock  beneath.  It  was  about  fifty  feet  from  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  house,  and  was  shaded  with  three 
healthy  sugar-trees,  which  had  been  topped  off  when  young, 
and  now  spread  their  branches  horizontally,  and  threw  one 
unbroken  shade  on  a  large  space  around  the  living  spring. 
About  four  or  five  feet  immediately  below  the  crystal  pool, 
stood  the  spring-house,  through  which  ran  the  rapid  purling 
stream  issuing  from  the  rock  reservoir.  Its  floor  was 
hewed  out  into  oblong  cisterns,  in  which  were  placed  the 
milk  pans  and  butter  crocks,  and  to  which  recourse  was  had 
in  summer  for  the  cool,  and  in  winter  for  the  compara- 
tively warm  supplies  of  milk  and  butter  for  daily  family 
use,  and  which  the  luxurious  inhabitant  of  a  city  covets  in 
vain,  and  for  which  no  artificial  preparation  of  ice  can  ever 
be  a  substitute,  with  all  the  skill  of  the  confectioner.  The 
little  hut,  which  covered  the  precious  current  and  milk 
cisterns,  was  of  rude  logs  and  rough  clapboards,  and  was 
protected  by  a  rough  door,  hung  on  wooden  hinges,  and 
fastened  with  a  pin.  The  spring-house  is  an  indispensable 
appendage  to  the  western  cabin,  and  answers  for  pantry  and 
cellar,  with  the  exception  of  the  hole  under  the  floor  of  the 
cabin,  scooped  out  of  the  earth,  and  made  air  tight,  over 
which  is  placed  a  loose  puncheon,  that  can  be  raised 
when  it  is  necessary  to  have  access  to  the  deposit  of 
potatoes,  turnips,  &c. 

The  cabin  of  the  new  settler  in  the  western  wilds,  is 
mostly  associated  with  great  comfort  and  much  content- 
ment, when  it  is  superintended  by  a  good  house-keeper, 
who  puts  the  impress  of  cleanliness  and  neatness  on  all 
things  in  and  around  it.  And  this  is  peculiarly  the  case 
when  religion,  that  holy  and  joy-diff'using  principle,  crowns 
the  whole.  Many  a  comfortable  night's  lodging  have  we 
enjoyed  in  such  humble,  yet  happy  dwellings.  And,  more- 
over, a  family  residence  of  five  years  in  one  of  them, 
13 


146 


ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     j^CHAP.  VII. 


endears  to  our  mind  the  name  and  idea  of  a  clean  western 
cabin,  connected  as  it  is  with  the  most  delightful  associations, 
in  a  manner  that  will  never  be  forgotten. 

The  following  diagram  presents  the  ground  plan  of  the 
itinerant's  hall,  as  it  stood,  when  he  occupied  it,  from  1805 
to  1808,  the  years  in  which  he  traveled  Shenango,  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  circuits;  and  also  from  1816  to  1819,  after  he 
had  been  made  Bishop. 


1.  Doors. 

2.  Windows,  or  holes. 

3.  Fireplaces. 

4.  Hall,  or  porch. 

The  engraving  on  the 
double  cabin,  as  far  as  it  ( 
sources  of  information. 


5.  Spring. 

6.  Spring-house. 

7.  Spring  run. 

8.  Sugar- trees. 

opposite  page  is  a  view  of  the 
an  be  represented  from  the  best 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY. 

In  the  spring  of  1807,  Mr.  Roberts  was  appointed  to  the 
Pittsburg  circuit.  It  embraced  at  that  day  all  the  tract  of 
country  lying  between  Laurel  Hill  and  Alleghany  River. 


CHAP.  VII.]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY. 


149 


It  extended  to  Conemaugh  and  Black  Lick,  and  then  on  to 
Brush  Creek.  It  comprised  Pittsburg,  Ligonier  Valley, 
Greensburg,  Connelsville,  Sewickly,  and  indeed  the  country 
between  the  Youghaganey  and  Alleghany  Rivers.  This  year 
he  took  Pittsburg  again  into  the  circuit,  it  having  been  dropped 
a  few  years  previously.  He  there  preached  in  the  upper 
story  of  an  old  warehouse  which  had  been  used  as  a  sail 
loft.  The  Methodists  in  that  place  were  principally  Eng- 
lish, and  had  kept  up  a  society  among  themselves  in  the 
absence  of  the  traveling  preachers.  Mr.  Wrenshall,  a  local 
preacher,  labored  zealously  to  keep  them  together,  and 
preached  also  to  the  citizens.  Mr.  Thomas  Cooper,  a 
man  of  much  worth,  and  who  is  yet  (August,  1843)  alive, 
filled  the  office  of  leader  to  great  advantage.  In  the 
spring  of  the  same  year,  the  Lambdins  moved  there,  and 
greatly  strengthened  the  society.  The  widow  of  Dr. 
Tucker,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Church,  opened  her 
house  for  preaching.  The  elements  of  the  first  Methodist 
society  in  Pittsburg,  were  somewhat  unlike  each  other, 
being  composed  of  persons  from  different  nations,  as  well 
as  of  opposite  constitutional  temperaments.  But,  under  the 
plastic  hands  of  Mr.  Roberts,  they  were  molded  so  far 
into  one,  as  to  secure  co-operation.  His  mildness,  great 
prudence  and  unaffected  humility,  added  to  his  acknowledged 
abilities,  enabled  him  to  do  what  few  others  could  accom- 
plish. He  was  not  only  himself  a  man  of  peace,  but  had 
great  skill  in  promoting  it  even  among  persons  of  the  most 
discordant  elements.  When  the  last  quarterly  meeting 
was  held,  which  was  at  Pittsburg,  a  brother  of  influence 
sent  in  his  resignation  of  office  as  a  local  preacher.  At 
the  request  of  Mr.  Roberts,  this  was  postponed  till  he  poyld 
have  an  interview  with  him,  He  saw  hirq  soon  afterward, 
and  dissuaded  him  from  his  purpose,  and  the  difficuUies  of 
the  case  were  adjusted.  The  loc^l  preacher  continued  in 
the  Church,  exercising  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  at  3 
13* 


150  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [cHAP.  VII. 

future  day  gave  five  hundred  dollars  toward  erecting  the 
Smithfield-street  church.  He  lived  and  died  a  pious  man, 
and  a  useful  official  member  of  the  Church. 

The  appointed  colleague  of  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts,  for  the 
Pittsburg  circuit,  was  John  W.  Harris ;  but  for  some  cause 
he  never  made  his  appearance  on  his  field  of  labor.  The 
presiding  elder  accordingly  sent  another  preacher  to  fill  his 
place.  The  substitute  was  one  with  whom  the  presiding 
elder  had  little  or  no  acquaintance.  He  professed  to  be  a 
Methodist  preacher  recently  from  the  south,  but  previously 
from  the  north.  Mr.  Roberts,  after  having  gone  two  rounds 
without  hearing  any  thing  about  the  presiding  elder's  arrange- 
ment, was  informed  that  a  young  man  was  on  another  part 
of  the  circuit.  As  he  knew  of  no  such  person,  and  learnt 
that  one  of  his  appointments  was  at  his  brother's,  John 
Roberts,  he  went  to  see  him.  The  young  man  preached, 
and  was  very  boisterous  and  noisy.  After  dinner  they 
walked  out  into  the  woods,  and  during  their  conversation 
Mr.  Roberts  desired  to  know  by  what  authority  he  was  on 
the  circuit.  He  replied  that  he  was  sent  by  the  presiding 
elder,  showing,  at  the  same  time,  a  letter  containing  his 
authority.  Before  long,  however,  the  young  man  turned  out 
to  be  unworthy  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him,  and  Mr. 
Roberts  was  again  left  alone  on  the  circuit,  being  compelled 
to  fill  its  numerous  appointments  in  the  best  way  he  pos- 
sibly could. 

The  lessons  to  be  learned  from  the  foregoing  are  the 
following: 

Persons  recently  converted,  in  most  cases,  ought  not  to 
be  put  into  the  sacred  and  important  office  of  the  ministry. 
No  clergyman  should  be  a  novice,  that  is,  one  who  has 
lately  professed  to  be  a  Christian. 

Strangers  are  also  to  be  received  with  great  caution, 
whether  foreigners  or  natives,  that  come  from  a  distance. 
If,  however,  they  come  properly  recommended,  from  the 


CHAP.  VII.3     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  151 

powers  that  be,  they  ought  not  to  suffer ;  the  interests  of 
Christianity  do  not  require  that  they  should. 

But  strolling  preachers  should  receive  no  countenance  at 
all.  By  strolling  preachers,  we  mean  those  who  do  not 
stay  long  enough  in  one  place  to  form  and  acquire  a  charac- 
ter. Persons  of  the  worst  principles  have,  in  numberless 
instances,  imposed  on  Christian  Churches  by  frequently 
changing  their  residences.  Such  clerical  vagrants  ought 
not  to  hold  the  important  office  of  preaching  the  Gospel 
under  any  consideration  whatever. 

Besides,  both  ministers  and  people  should  be  very  care- 
ful not  to  receive  strangers  until  they  produce  their  regular 
testimonials  of  office.  Strangers  of  real  merit  never  expect 
to  be  received  in  the  same  manner  as  if  they  were  fully 
known,  neither  will  they  be  displeased  if  the  people  should 
manifest  a  disposition  to  test  the  strength  and  stability  of  their 
virtue  and  piety.  Were  the  caution  just  given  at  all  times 
observed,  those  who  are  disposed  to  impose  themselves  on 
religious  people  as  preachers,  would  be  so  repulsed,  as 
not  to  be  able  any  longer  to  deceive  the  unwary. 

Not  that  Christians  or  Christian  Churches,  are  charge- 
able with  the  hypocrisy  of  the  few ;  except  so  far  as  they 
encourage  them  by  a  laxity  of  Christian  discipline. 

Mr.  Roberts'  family  lived  at  Shenango,  while  he  traveled 
Pittsburg  circuit;  hence  his  visits  home  were  few  and 
transient.  The  mill,  too,  was  on  his  hands,  from  which  he 
expected  to  derive  some  revenue,  to  enable  him  to  prosecute 
with  less  anxiety  his  itinerant  labors.  In  this,  however,  he 
was  entirely  disappointed.  He  purposed  this  year  not  to  go 
to  conference,  in  order  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity 
to  give  some  attention  to  his  domestic  concerns,  as  well  as  to 
husband  time  so  as  to  be  able  to  attend  the  General  confer- 
ence, of  which  he  and  all  the  traveling  elders  were  then 
ex-officio  members.  In  his  absence  from  the  conference, 
charges  were  brought  against  him  and  William  Page,  for 


152  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [cHAP.  VII. 

neglecting  their  appointments ;  and  a  communication  from 
the  secretary  was  sent  to  each,  reproving  them  for  their  delin- 
quency. Both  of  them  had  families,  and  they  were 
compelled  as  a  matter  of  necessity  and  of  duty,  to  pay 
some  attention  to  them,  especially  as  they  received  little  or 
no  support  on  their  circuits,  and  their  private  means  were 
very  small.  It  is  probable,  that  as  the  leading  members  of 
the  conference  were  unmarried  men,  they  were  not,  for  want 
of  experience  in  domestic  concerns,  able  to  make  due 
allowances  for  persons  who  had  the  care  of  families.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  the  information  was  communicated  to  them, 
as  already  stated,  that  their  course  had  been  objected  to. 
Mr.  Page,  in  consequence  of  this,  which  he  considered 
ill-treatment,  refused  to  go  to  his  appointment,  and  of  course 
located,  and  continued  so  for  many  years.  At  a  future 
time,  however,  he  re-entered  the  traveling  field,  and  was 
faithful  at  his  work  till  death.  He  was  a  most  pious  man, 
and  an  able  minister ;  and  was  worthy  of  a  far  better  lot  than 
an  unreasonable  reproof  for  doing  what,  under  the  circum- 
stances, was  his  duty.  Mr.  Roberts  differed  in  opinion 
with  Mr.  Page.  He  thought  that  if  they  deserved  reproof, 
it  was  the  duty  of  the  conference  to  admonish  them  of  their 
error ;  and  if  they  did  not  deserve  it,  as  they  believed  they 
did  not,  it  was  their  duty  to  bear  it  as  a  cross,  and  not  to 
leave  the  work  of  the  Lord,  merely  because  the  conference, 
by  wrong  information  had  not  rightly  understood  their  case. 
The  conference  was  certainly  in  error,  for  reproving  the 
good  men  as  they  did,  and  Mr.  Page  was  also  in  error  for 
making  their  mistake  a  rule  of  conduct  for  himself. 

We  base  the  following  remarks  on  the  foregoing:  A 
Methodist  preacher,  who  is  useful  and  well  received,  ought 
not  to  locate  for  any  cause,  unless  it  be  one  of  the  most  ex- 
treme character.  No  present  poverty,  or  dread  of  future 
want  of  family  provision,  should  lead  him  to  take  this  step. 
Those  who  have  done  so  have  suffered  more  themselves, 


CHAP.  VII.3     EJJTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY,  153 

and  their  families  with  them,  than  they  would  have  if 
they  had  continued  to  serve  the  Church  amid  the  greatest 
poverty,  and  under  the  greatest  privations.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  Church  to  furnish  their  ministers  with  ample  means 
of  sustenance,  and  thus  leave  them  without  excuse  or  em- 
barrassment. They  ought  to  support  the  minister,  not  the 
man — not  the  popular  minister,  but  the  minister  and  his 
family,  whether  popular  or  unpopular.  Very  frequently, 
however,  the  mere  popular  preacher  is  abundantly  pro- 
vided for,  while  the  more  worthy  and  every  day  laborer  is 
neglected.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  such  an 
unjust  mode  of  procedure  always  brings  great  reproach  on 
the  neglecters,  and  often  seriously  injures  the  faithful  man 
of  God.  These  things,  in  a  Christian  community,  ought 
not  to  be. 

In  1808,  Mr.  Roberts  was  appointed  to  West  Wheeling 
circuit.  Benjamin  Rogers  was  his  colleague.  He  arranged 
his  affairs  at  Shenango  as  well  as  he  could,  and  took  his 
wife  along  to  the  circuit.  There  were  then  neither  par- 
sonages nor  rented  houses  for  preachers ;  neither  was  there 
any  family  provision ;  and,  moreover,  there  was  but  very 
little  quarterage.  His  wife  lived  with  her  aunt,  Worley, 
near  Cadiz,  Ohio,  and  there  found,  what  is  not  always  met 
with  by  preachers'  wives,  a  home. 

After  traveling  nearly  two  rounds  on  his  circuit,  and  be- 
fore the  time  of  holding  the  first  quarterly  meeting,  he  had 
to  leave  for  General  conference.  He  arranged  matters  as 
well  as  he  could,  so  as  to  be  able  to  attend.  He  had  already 
expended  all  his  funds,  with  the  exception  of  fifty  cents,  in 
moving  his  family.  These  funds  must  have  been  small 
indeed,  as  the  distance  they  moved  was  only  about  sixty 
miles.  His  wife  had  rode  on  horse-back,  and  they  had  pack- 
ed most  of  their  clothes  and  bedding  on  their  horses.  The 
whole  of  their  funds,  therefore,  could  not  have  been  more 
than  two  or  three  dollars,  from  which,  by  special  foresight, 


154  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [CHAP.  VII. 

a  half-dollar  was  saved  to  meet  some  exigency.  He  was 
anxious  to  go  to  the  General  conference,  but  did  not  know 
where  to  borrow  the  money  necessary  to  take  him.  He 
concluded,  however,  to  ask  his  colleague  for  aid.  He  met 
him  on  the  circuit,  and  after  preaching  for  him,  inquired  if 
he  could  loan  him  some  money.  But  his  colleague  was 
as  scarce  of  funds  as  himself.  He  said  he  had  only  one 
half  dollar  in  the  world,  but  he  would  let  him  have  that 
with  all  his  heart,  if  it  would  do  him  any  good.  Mr.  Roberts 
concluded  to  take  it ;  and  thus,  with  his  own  half  dollar,  he 
now  had  the  sum  of  one  whole  dollar,  leaving  the  preacher 
and  Mrs.  Roberts  at  home  moneyless.  He  had  some 
money  owing  to  him,  however,  on  Pittsburg  circuit,  either 
as  arrearages  for  books  or  some  other  debt.  He  purposed, 
therefore,  to  call  on  his  creditor  and  ask  for  payment.  With 
his  dollar  he  set  out  on  his  journey,  a  distance  of  about 
three  hundred  miles.  He  crossed  the  Ohio  River,  went 
toward  Connelsville,  and  traveled  on  till  he  reached  the 
Glades,  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  near  where  the 
man  lived  who  was  owing  him  the  money.  But,  as  he 
resided  some  distance  from  the  road,  Mr.  Roberts  stopped 
at  the  house  of  a  friend  for  the  night.  Next  morning  the 
kind  lady  filled  one  end  of  his  saddle-bags  with  oats  and 
the  other  with  biscuit  and  cheese.  Having  now  provisions 
plenty,  he  concluded  to  proceed  on  his  journey  with  his 
solitary  dollar,  and  not  trouble  the  friend  who  was  in- 
debted to  him.  The  truth  is,  he  would  rather  live  on  half 
allowance  of  bread  and  cheese  all  the  way  to  Baltimore  than 
ask  for  the  payment  of  a  debt,  however  small. 

With  a  dollar  in  his  pocket,  and  bread  and  cheese, 
together  with  oats,  in  his  saddle-bags,  he  proceeded  on  his 
journey  toward  Baltimore.  He  stopped  about  noon  in 
the  woods,  fed  his  horse  on  the  oats,  and  eat  some  bread  and 
cheese  himself,  slaking  his  thirst  at  a  pure  chrystal  foun- 
tain, without  the  aid  of  gourd,  cup,  or  glass.    The  first 


CHAP.  VII.3     ENTRANCE  ON  THE   EPISCOPACY.  155 

night  he  put  up  at  a  tavern,  at  which  he  took  neither  supper 
nor  breakfast,  and  fed  his  horse  on  hay  alone.  Of  course 
his  tavern  bill  was  light.  During  the  next  day  he  drew  on 
his  saddle-bags  as  on  the  day  before,  for  supplies  for  him- 
self and  his  horse,  and  at  night  he  reached  the  dwelling  of 
an  old  friend,  who  entertained  him  quite  hospitably.  His 
next  stopping  place  was  on  his  old  circuit,  so  that  he  found 
no  want  of  entertainment  until  he  reached  Baltimore,  the 
seat  of  the  General  conference.  On  his  arrival  at  the  city 
he  had  five  cents  of  his  dollar  left. 

Could  any  one  undertake  such  a  journey,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, unless  he  had  been  trained,  like  Mr.  Roberts, 
to  hardships  and  privations  ?  Certainly  not.  The  adven- 
tures connected  with  locating  and  improving  the  Shenango 
settlement  formed  an  excellent  school  for  the  future  pioneer 
itinerant.  He  had  often  been  hungry  and  left  without 
money,  and  had  encamped  in  the  woods  times  without 
number  in  his  former  days,  and  he  could  endure  the  same 
again  when  duty  required. 

In  Baltimore  he  lodged  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Thorn- 
burg,  a  member  of  the  Church,  who  treated  him  with  great 
kindness.  His  clothing  was  coarse  and  had  been  much 
worn.  He  was  appointed  to  preach  in  Light-street  church ; 
and  supposing  the  people  there  to  be  tinctured  a  litde  with 
pride,  he  delivered  a  severe  sermon  on  the  subject.  In  a 
few  days  he  was  waited  on  at  his  room  by  a  tailor,  who 
took  his  measure  for  a  vest  and  pantaloons ;  but  by  whom 
he  was  authorized  Mr.  Roberts  never  learned.  The  Church 
in  Baltimore  was  then  composed  of  generous  souls,  and 
they  have  transmitted  the  spirit  of  their  own  liberality  to 
their  successors  in  the  Churcli.  Many  a  suit  of  clothes 
have  these  kind  people  given  to  the  needy  itinerant  within 
the  last  sixty  years.  The  vest  and  pantaloons  came  in 
very  good  time  to  Mr.  Roberts,  as  his  resources  were  lim- 
ited indeed. 


156  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.      [cHAP.  VII. 

Little  did  he  think,  at  that  time,  that  in  a  few  months  he 
would  be  selected  as  pastor  for  the  Light-street  church. 
But  his  preaching  during  the  session  of  the  General  con- 
ference was  so  acceptable  to  the  people  of  Baltimore,  that 
they  solicited  Bishop  Asbury  to  send  him  amongst  them ; 
which  accordingly  was  done,  as  we  shall  mention  more  par- 
ticularly hereafter. 

At  this  General  conference  very  important  business  was 
transacted.  The  conference  was  formerly  composed  of  all 
the  ordained  elders.  This,  however,  took  too  many  preach- 
ers from  their  work,  beside  incurring  great  expense  and 
making  the  General  conference  unwieldy.  Those  from 
certain  annual  conferences,  such  as  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
and  others  near  the  seat  of  the  General  conference,  could 
easily  attend,  while  those  who  resided  in  the  west,  south- 
west and  northeast,  owing  to  the  great  distance  and  the  ex- 
penses incurred,  could  not  attend  without  much  difficulty. 
Hence,  from  the  part  of  Baltimore  conference  west  of  the 
mountains  only  Robert  R.  Roberts  and  Asa  Shinn  attended ; 
and  from  the  Western  conference  only  Wm.  M'Kendree, 
William  Burke,  John  Sale,  Benjamin  Lakin  and  Elisha 
Bowman. 

A  motion  was  made  and  debated  that  the  presiding  elders 
should  be  elected  by  the  conferences,  and  not  appointed  by 
the  Bishops.  The  motion  was  lost  after  full  consideration. 
Mr.  Roberts  voted  that  the  conferences  should  elect  the  pre- 
siding elders.  He  continued  to  be  of  that  opinion  till 
1824,  or  some  years  afterward;  but  on  carefully  weighing 
the  whole  matter  he  became  convinced  that  the  safer  way 
for  the  Church  was  to  have  them  appointed  by  the  Bishops. 
He  always  wished,  especially  during  the  earlier  part  of  his 
episcopacy,  to  exercise  as  little  power  as  possible ;  and  on 
this  account,  after  he  had  been  chosen  Bishop,  he  retained 
his  former  opinion,  and  desired  to  be  relieved  from  the 
responsibility  of  appointing  the  presiding  elders.   The  good 


CHAP.  Vlli]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  157 

of  the  Church,  as  already  stated,  together  with  the  evils 
arising  from  frequent  elections,  induced  him  to  change  his 
views,  having  the  clearest  conviction  that  those  views  were 
wrong.  His  early  opinions,  we  think,  were  formed  under 
the  mistaken  notion  which  some  inculcated,  that  the  pre- 
siding elders  would  be  generally  chosen  as  delegates  to  the 
General  conference,  and  if  the  Bishops  had  the  power  of 
appointing  them,  they  might  through  them  exercise  undue 
influence  in  the  councils  of  the  Church.  The  truth  is, 
that  the  present  mode  has  been  so  well  tested,  and  the 
administration  of  the  Bishops  has  also  been  so  wise  and 
salutary,  that  no  alteration  could  be  made  for  the  better, 
while  doubtless  if  one  were  made  it  would  be  for  the  worse. 

At  this  conference,  Wm.  M'Kendree  was  elected  Bishop. 

We  shall  here  record  an  historical  fact  respecting  the 
restrictive  regulations  or  constitutional  articles  of  our 
Church.  When  the  subject  respecting  a  delegated  General 
conference  came  up,  it  was  referred  to  a  committee  com- 
posed of  two  from  each  of  the  annual  conferences.  The 
committee  consisted  of  fourteen,  as  the  number  of  confer- 
ences was  then  but  seven.  Wm.  M'Kendree  and  Wm. 
Burke  were  chosen  for  the  Western  conference.  But  before 
the  committee  was  ready  to  report,  Wm.  M'Kendree  was 
elected  Bishop,  and  of  course  Wm.  Burke  was  left  alone  to 
represent  the  interests  of  the  Western  conference.  On  the 
first  meeting  of  the  committee  they  conversed  largely  on 
the  provisions  which  their  report  to  the  conference  should 
contain.  After  considerable  deliberation,  they  agreed  to 
appoint  a  sub-committee  of  three  to  draft  a  report  to  be 
submitted  to  the  conference,  subject  however  to  such  addi- 
tions or  modifications  as  a  future  meeting  of  the  whole 
committee  might  see  fit  to  make.  The  sub-committee  con- 
sisted of  Ezekiel  Cooper,  Joshua  Soule  and  Philip  Bruce. 
When  the  sub-committee  met,  it  was  agreed,  after  a  full 
exchange  of  sentiments,  that  e  ach  should  draw  up  a  separate 


158 


ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.      ^HaP.  VII. 


paper,  comprising  the  necessary  restrictions  or  regulations, 
in  the  best  way  he  could,  and  that  each  would  present  his 
form  in  writing,  and  that  they  would  then  adopt  the  one 
deemed  best,  with  such  amendments  as  would  be  agreed  on. 
When  the  sub-committee  met  to  examine  their  plans,  Mr. 
Cooper  had  his  regularly  drawn  up,  and  Mr.  Soule  also 
had  his,  but  Philip  Bruce  had  nothing  committed  to  writing. 
On  comparing  the  two  papers,  Mr.  Bruce  fell  in  with  the 
main  points  in  the  one  brought  forward  by  Joshua  Soule. 
Mr.  Cooper  plead  for  his  own  with  his  usual  ability ;  but 
he  finally  agreed  to  Mr.  Soule's  plan  with  some  slight  addi- 
tions or  amendments  suggested  by  the  others.  At  the  next 
meeting  of  the  whole  committee,  although  the  plans  of 
Ezekiel  Cooper  and  Joshua  Soule  were  both  before  the 
committee,  Mr.  Soule's  was  adopted  by  all  the  members, 
with  some  slight  modifications. 

When  the  report  of  the  committee  was  brought  before  the 
entire  conference,  the  morning  session  was  completely 
taken  up  with  it,  it  being  canvassed  with  considerable 
warmth  and  ability.  One  party  was  in  favor  of  delegation, 
and  another,  which  was  strong,  was  for  representation  by 
seniority.  On  the  votes  being  taken,  the  report  was  rejected 
by  a  majority.  The  New  England  and  Western  confer- 
ences, at  their  sessions  previous  to  the  General  conference, 
had  each  elected  seven  delegates,  in  order  to  secure  a  repre- 
sentation at  the  General  conference.  The  seven  delegates 
of  the  New  England  conference  were  in  attendance.  The 
following  names  are  recollected  by  Wm.  Burke,  who  has 
kindly  furnished  us  with  them,  namely,  John  Brodhead, 
Elijah  R.  Sabin,  Thomas  Branch,  Elijah  Hedding,  Joshua 
Soule  and  Oliver  Beale.  The  members  from  the  Western 
conference,  and  those  of  New  England,  had  partly  agreed 
the  day  previous,  that  if  the  General  conference  did  not 
admit  of  representation,  they  would  leave  the  conference 
forthwith,  and  return  to  their  appointments.  Accordingly, 


CHAP.  VII.]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  159 

when  the  report  of  the  committee  was  rejected,  the  New 
England  delegates  arose  in  the  conference  and  asked  leave 
to  retire,  and  return  to  their  work,  as  they  could  be  of  no 
further  use  in  the  conference.  They  gave  assurance  at  the 
same  time,  that  they  would  not  create  any  difficulty  in  the 
Church,  but  peaceably  go  home  and  attend  to  the  duties  of 
their  several  appointments.  Wm.  Burke  from  the  Western 
conference,  also  arose  in  the  conference  and  made  the  same 
request  and  declaration.  Elisha  W.  Bowman  did  so  too. 
John  Sale  and  Benjamin  Lakin,  however,  declined  taking 
such  a  step.  The  eight  members  then  retired  in  a  body, 
six  from  the  New  England  and  two  from  the  Western  con- 
ference, and  immediately  afterward  met  in  a  room  to  consult 
and  prepare  for  their  journey.  In  the  afternoon  Bishops 
Asbury  and  M'Kendree  sought  an  interview  with  those 
delegates,  which  was  obtained.  They  all  knew  what  were 
the  sentiments  of  the  two  Bishops  on  the  subject  of  dele- 
gation, and  they  were  confident  that  they  would  use  their 
influence  in  having  the  vote  re-considered.  After  a  pleasant 
afternoon's  interview,  they  all  agreed  to  attend  the  confer- 
ence next  morning,  which  they  did,  and  the  vote  was 
accordingly  re-considered,  when  the  question  was  settled  in 
regard  to  the  principle  of  delegation.  Had  it  not  been  for 
the  firm  stand  that  these  eight  delegates  took,  nothing  would 
probably  have  been  done  at  that  conference  in  favor  of  a 
delegated  General  conference. 

Thus,  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  we  owe  to  Bishop 
Soule  the  restrictive  regulations  or  rather  constitution  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which  exhibits  a  degree 
of  wisdom  and  prudent  foresight,  that  characterizes  men  of 
the  first  mental  powers.  In  fact,  those  who  know  Bishop 
Soule,  would  expect  from  him  the  wise  deliberation  neces- 
sary to  produce  such  a  measure  as  the  constitutional  restric- 
tions of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  piece  of 
history  we  have  thought  proper  here  to  insert,  as  it  is  not 


160  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [CHAP.  VII. 

yet  on  record  in  a  published  form,  and  probably  never  would 
be,  if  our  humble  pen  were  to  pass  it  by,* 

As  has  already  been  observed,  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts'  preach- 
ing in  Baltimore,  during  the  session  of  the  General  confer- 
ence, so  attracted  the  attention  both  of  the  Church  and 
citizens,  that  they  were  exceedingly  desirous  to  have  him 
stationed  among  them.  Application  was  at  once  made  to 
Bishop  Asbury  to  change  him  from  West  Wheeling  circuit 
to  Baltimore  city.  Bishop  Asbury  himself  had  formed  the 
highest  opinion  of  him,  both  as  a  man  and  a  minister. 
Accordingly,  in  November  of  the  same  year,  the  Bishop 
wrote  to  him,  instructing  him  to  leave  West  Wheeling 
circuit  and  move  to  Baltimore.  Mr.  Roberts  could  not 
imagine  why  the  Bishop  should  appoint  him  to  Baltimore ; 
and  as  the  whole  was  so  unexpected,  and  as  he  conceived,  so 
much  out  of  place,  he  concluded,  on  receiving  the  Bishop's 
letter,  that  he  could  not  go.  He  did  not  think  himself 
suited  for  such  a  station,  and  withal  he  had  no  money 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  traveling.  Bishop  Asbury  on 
learning  Mr.  Roberts'  conclusion,  wrote  again,  insisting  on 
his  removal,  and  also  sent  on  another  preacher  officially  to 
supply  his  place.  He  was  now  in  no  small  perplexity. 
His  place  was  supplied  by  another,  he  had  no  money  to 
carry  him  to  Baltimore,  and  he  still  considered  the  change 
as  utterly  out  of  place.  Besides,  Bishop  Asbury  observed 
in  his  second  letter  to  him,  that  "  he  was  always  behind." 

•  In  Bangs'  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  volume  ii, 
page  229,  et  seq.,  the  third  restrictive  rule  is  omitted,  by  mistake,  no 
doubt.  Rules  to  the  number  of  six  are  given,  but  the  proviso  to  the 
last  is  converted  into  a  separate  rule  and  made  the  sixth.  The  omitted 
rule  reads,  "  3.  They  shall  not  change  or  alter  any  part  or  rule  of  our 
government,  so  as  to  do  away  episcopacy,  or  destroy  the  plan  of  our 
itinerant  general  supcrintendency."  The  reader  will  find  this  rule  in 
all  the  editions  of  the  Discipline  from  1808  inclusive,  and  upward.  We 
mention  this,  lest  the  error  might  go  uncorrected  in  the  history,  and  the 
rule  might  be  a  matter  of  dispute  in  future  years. 


CHAP.  VII.]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  161 

This  wounded  him  considerably,  insomuch  that  he  talked 
seriously  of  going  home,  and  manifested  an  unusual  share 
of  obstinacy  under  the  circumstances.  The  good  Bishop 
had  been  led  to  conclude  from  his  slight  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Roberts,  that  he  was  behind  in  the  fulfillment  of  his 
duty.  It  was  his  extreme  diffidence  and  modesty,  however, 
and  not  a  disposition  of  indolence  that  led  him  to  adopt 
this  opinion.  On  this  occasion  his  pious  and  faithful  wife 
admonished  him,  making  in  substance  the  following  remarks 
to  him,  which  we  took  down  from  her  own  lips,  she  sanc- 
tioning them,  after  being  read  to  her :  "  Robert,  it  is  your 
duty  to  go  to  Baltimore.  Should  you  return  home,  you 
will  have  greater  and  more  numerous  difficulties  than  any 
you  have  ever  had  before.  Already  you  have  performed 
many  arduous  duties,  and  you  can,  through  the  aid  of 
Divine  grace,  perform  this.  Bishop  Asbury  has  great  con- 
fidence in  you,  and  it  is  your  duty  to  obey  him.  We  have 
already  undertaken  many  difficult  journeys,  and,  though 
we  have  neither  money  nor  means,  we  can  accomplish  this. 
Let  us  go  as  soon  as  possible."  These  remarks  of  Mrs. 
Roberts  produced  the  desired  effect,  and  he  accordingly 
determined  to  go  to  Baltimore. 

Their  goods  were  mostly  at  Shenango.  Mrs.  Roberts' 
best  clothes  were  there  also.  Shenango  being  sixty  miles 
distant,  they  could  not  go  that  way  without  losing  more 
time  than  was  proper,  especially  as  they  had  already  de- 
layed for  several  weeks.  Their  funds,  too,  would  allow 
of  no  unnecessary  traveling  at  that  time.  They  raised  a 
few  dollars  for  their  journey  to  Baltimore,  but  how  much 
we  cannot  say ;  the  sum,  however,  must  have  been  very 
small  indeed.  They  went  on  horse-back,  Mrs.  Roberts 
having  a  horse  as  well  as  Mr.  Roberts,  and  this  being  the 
cheapest  mode  of  traveling.  They  staid,  for  the  most  part, 
at  night,  with  tlie  acquamtances  he  had  formed  during  his 
ministerial  travels.    When  they  wished  to  eat  during  the 


162  ENTRANCE  ON  THE   EPISCOPACY.     [CHAF.  VII, 

day,  they  had  recourse  to  the  supplies  of  their  saddle-bagg, 
which  were  occasionally  stored  by  their  friends  with  cakes 
and  cheese.  They  arrived  safely  at  Baltimore,  a  litde  be- 
fore Christmas. 

His  colleagues  were  Seely  Bunn,  N.  Snethen  and  Sam- 
uel Coates.  Mr.  Bunn  boarded  with  Mr.  Roberts,  and  had 
a  room  up  stairs  for  his  study,  while  Messrs.  Snethen  and 
Coates  lived  together.  Their  temporal  wants  were  suffi- 
ciently supplied  by  the  stewards.  Mrs.  Roberts  continued 
to  observe  her  former  industrious  and  economical  habits, 
cooking  their  own  victuals  and  doing  her  own  house-work, 
and,  of  course,  their  wants  were  easily  supplied.  The 
steward  who  attended  to  their  temporal  necessities  was 
induced  to  remark  at  one  time  that  sister  Roberts  lived  on 
half  of  the  supplies  that  were  requisite  for  others.  This 
she  could  easily  do ;  as  she  had  no  children,  had  excellent 
health,  and  had  been  taught  industry  and  economy  by  the 
circumstances  of  her  former  life. 

At  the  following  conference  in  1809,  he  was  re-ap- 
pointed to  the  Baltimore  station,  as  he  had  served  the 
people  entirely  to  their  satisfaction. 

In  1810,  he  was  stationed  at  Fell's  Point,  and  served  the 
people  of  his  charge  much  to  their  edification.  While  there 
he  came  in  contact  with  the  Rev.  Alexander  M'Cain,  with 
whom  he  had  some  difficulties.  He  found  the  stewards' 
books  in  confusion,  and  proceeded  to  rectify  and  correct 
them.  This  pressed  with  some  weight  on  Mr.  M'Cain, 
and  the  matter  was  brought  before  the  annual  conference, 
where  the  course  of  Mr.  Roberts  was  sanctioned,  and,  con- 
sequently, that  of  Mr.  M'Cain  considered  more  or  less  cen- 
surable. This  circumstance  so  affected  Mr.  M'Cain  that, 
after  the  conference  had  decided  against  him,  he  observed 
to  Mrs.  Roberts,  on  seeing  lier  in  the  parsonage,  "  Your 
husband  has  foiled  me,  and  he  is  the  only  man  that  ever 
could  do  it,"  bursting  into  tears  at  the  same  time.    It  is 


CHAP,  vn.]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  163 

probable  that  Mr.  M'Cain  never  forgave  the  offense  of  Mr. 
Roberts,  which  amounted  to  nothing  more  than  defending 
himself  against  the  attack  of  this  unreasonable  and  violent 
man.  Whether  this  defeat  led  Mr.  M'Cain,  at  a  future  day, 
to  pen  his  gross  misrepresentations  of  Methodist  episco- 
pacy, in  his  notorious  work  of  the  "  History  and  Mystery," 
which  other  misguided  authors,  such  as  Annan  and  Mus- 
grave,  have  taken  for  true  history,  we  are  not  prepared  to 
say.  Perhaps  some  allowances  are  to  be  made  for  the 
phrensied  decisions  of  Mr.  M'Cain,  in  consequence  of  his 
vehement,  uncontrolled  natural  disposition  ;  but  it  is  not  so 
easy  to  find  an  apology  for  those  ministerial  pamphleteering 
authors  who  call  him  "  master,"  and  follow  him  implicidy. 

In  1811,  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts  was  stationed  at  Alexan- 
dria. Of  the  events  of  this  year  we  have  no  records  of 
any  kind.  All  the  information  in  our  possession  is,  that  he 
bore  amongst  his  people  tlie  character  of  a  good  pastor. 
He  frequently  exchanged  pulpits  with  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal minister  of  the  place,  whose  congregation  was  both 
edified  and  pleased  with  his  ministrations.  The  doctrine 
of  succession,  at  that  day,  had  not  taken  such  deep  hold 
of  all  Protestant  Episcopal  ministers  as  to  prevent  them 
from  exchanging  pulpits  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
ministers ;  but  at  present  the  exclusive  Popery  of  the  Amer- 
ican ^prelatical  Church  has  so  far  prevailed  as  to  exclude 
from  ministerial  character,  Methodist,  Presbyterian  and 
Baptist  clergymen,  whose  ordination,  in  an  appropriate 
sense,  is  virtually  presbyterial.  This  has  already  led  to 
rank  Popery  in  some  instances,  and  will  probably  eventu- 
ate in  Romanizing  the  whole  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
of  the  United  States. 

In  1812,  Mr.  Roberts'  appointment  was  in  Georgetown, 
District  of  Columbia.  While  there  he  had  an  interview 
with  the  President,  Mr.  Madison.  He  was  introduced,  in 
company  with  a  number  of  others,  and  his  introduction 


164  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [cHAP.  VXI 

was  attended  with  the  formalities  which  usually  accompany 
such  interviews.  For  those  formalities  he  had  very  little 
taste ;  and  his  reserve  on  the  occasion,  as  well  as  his  dig- 
nified mien,  so  far  attracted  the  attention  of  the  President, 
that  he  desired  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  him,  unem- 
barrassed with  the  forms  of  courtly  life.  At  a  future  time, 
Mr.  Roberts  again  visited  him  by  his  express  wish,  and 
greeted  him  and  his  lady  with  a  cordial  shaking  of  hands, 
observing,  at  the  same  time,  that  his  custom  was  to  salute 
his  friends  in  this  way,  and,  therefore,  he  took  the  liberty 
to  approach  the  Chief  Magistrate  and  his  lady  in  the  free 
Christian  manner  he  was  accustomed  to  among  his  own 
people.  Mr.  Madison  and  his  lady  were  delighted,  and  no 
doubt  profited  by  the  visit,  especially  as  it  was  terminated 
by  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  a  practice  too  much  neglected 
by  ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  their  interviews  with  friends 
and  acquaintances. 

He  made  a  short  visit  to  Shenango  during  this  year.  On 
his  return  through  Ligonier  he  took  with  him  his  nephew, 
George  Roberts,  son  of  his  brother,  John  Roberts.  He 
was  then  about  six  years  of  age,  having  been  born,  Decem- 
ber 6th,  1806.  He  placed  him  immediately  behind  hira  on 
his  horse,  lying  him  with  a  girth,  so  adjusted  as  to  prevent 
him  falling  off  in  ascending  steep  places.  At  that  time 
there  were  no  turnpike  roads  across  the  mountains,  and  the 
direction  he  traveled  in,  which  was  from  Ligonier  to  Wash- 
ington, crossed  the  leading  roads.  By  the  expedient  just 
mentioned,  the  boy  was  preserved  from  falling,  as  they  went 
up  the  steep  ascents  in  passing  the  numerous  defiles  of  the 
mountains.  Little  George  was  adopted  as  a  son,  and 
treated  with  all  the  tender  affection  of  an  only  child. 

During  the  years  1813  and  1814,  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts 
was  stationed  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  received 
by  the  people  there  with  every  mark  of  respect.  He 
preached  a  number  of  charity  sermons  in  the  various 


CHAP.  VII.]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  165 

churches.  On  three  several  occasions  he  officiated  in  tliis 
way  among  his  Presbyterian  brethren  with  great  success 
and  much  to  their  satisfaction. 

In  the  fall  of  1814,  he  visited  the  west,  and  did  not 
return  for  three  or  four  months.  This  gave  great  unea.si- 
ness  to  his  friends,  as  they  had  no  information  respecting 
his  safety.  He  went  on  this  occasion  as  far  as  Indiana,  to 
the  neighborhood  of  where  he  subsequently  resided,  and 
where  his  brother,  Lewis,  had  either  purchased  land  or  had 
already  moved.  While  in  this  region  he  visited  Orleans, 
Indiana.  There  was  then  stationed  there,  at  a  garrison,  a 
company  of  soldiers.  In  order  to  amuse  themselves,  they 
commenced  shooting  at  a  mark,  Mr.  Roberts  being  present. 
They  supposed  he  was  entirely  unskilled  in  the  art,  and 
tauntingly  spoke  of  his  inexperience  in  such  exercises. 
But  all  their  remarks  had  no  effect  on  him.  As,  however, 
there  were  one  or  two  present  who  knew  his  ability  as  a 
marksman,  they  urged  him  to  try  his  skill  with  the  rifle. 
After  some  persuasion,  he  consented,  and  succeeded  so  well 
as  to  surpass  fairly  the  whole  company.  The  greatness 
of  their  surprise  was  exceeded  only  by  the  extent  of  their 
admiration  of  the  Philadelphia  clergyman,  whom  they 
ascertained  to  be  no  other  in  early  life,  than  a  western 
pioneer.  The  soldiers,  who  followed  themselves  the  calling 
he  had  formerly  done,  found  that  their  visitor  could  enter 
into  all  the  narratives  of  the  hunter  and  pioneer's  life. 
Their  mutual  narratives  called  forth  the  exercise  of  the 
most  cordial  regard  and  fellow  feeling,  and  they  parted  on 
the  best  terms  of  friendship. 

In  the  year  1815,  he  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of 
Schuylkill  district,  which  embraced  Philadelphia.  Their 
residence  was  the  third  story  of  the  parsonage  of  St. 
George's  church,  the  place  in  which  they  resided  while  he 
was  stationed  in  the  city.  Little  George  Roberts  lived 
with  them  and  went  to  school. 


166  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [CHAP.  VII. 

In  consequence  of  the  death  of  Bishop  Asbury  on  the  31st 
of  March,  1816,  and  the  indisposition  of  Bishop  M'Kendree, 
there  was  no  Bishop  at  the  Philadelphia  conference,  which 
sat  in  Philadelphia,  April  18th,  1816.  The  rule  of  Disci- 
pline requires,  that  a  presiding  elder,  in  the  absence  of  a 
Bishop,  shall  preside  at  the  conference ;  and  when  there 
are  two  or  more  presiding  elders  belonging  to  one  confer- 
ence, which  is  mosdy  the  case,  the  Bishop  may,  by  letter 
or  otherwise,  appoint  the  president  himself.  If,  however, 
no  appointment  be  made  by  the  Bishop,  or  if  the  presiding 
elder  appointed  by  him  do  not  attend,  the  conference,  in 
either  case,  has  to  elect  a  president  by  ballot,  without 
debate,  from  among  the  presiding  elders.  In  consequence 
of  the  events  just  named,  the  Philadelphia  conference  had 
to  elect  a  president  this  year;  and  although  Robert  R. 
Roberts  was  probably  the  youngest  in  the  conference,  he  was 
chosen  president  by  a  large  majority  of  votes.  At  this 
conference  were  present  many  of  the  delegates  from  the 
northern  conferences,  namely.  New  York,  New  England 
and  Genesee,  on  their  way  to  Baltimore,  the  seat  of  the 
General  conference,  which  was  to  sit  on  the  first  day  of 
May  following.  He  presided  with  much  dignity,  mildness 
and  propriety,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  president  in  all 
respects  so  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Philadelphia 
conference,  as  well  as  the  delegates  of  the  northern  con- 
ferences who  were  present,  that  the  opinion  began  to  be 
generally  entertained  that  he  was  a  proper  person  to  be 
chosen  Bishop  or  General  Superintendent.  The  sentiment 
was  carried  to  the  General  conference  by  all  the  delegates 
north  of  Baltimore,  and  the  western  delegates  fell  in  very 
readily  with  their  views. 

As  Bishop  Asbury  was  dead,  and  the  health  of  Bishop 
M'Kendree  was  poor,  and  the  conferences  had  become 
more  numerous,  and  the  territorial  bounds  of  the  Church 
were  much  enlarged,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  increase 


CHAP.  VII.]     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  167 

the  number  of  Bishops.  Accordingly  the  committee  on 
the  episcopacy  recommended  that  two  Bishops  should  be 
elected  ;  and  their  report  was  adopted  by  the  conference. 
This  report  says,  "  It  is  the  opinion  of  your  committee 
that  the  state  of  the  superintendency,  in  consequence  of  the 
ever  to  be  lamented  death  of  our  venerable  father,  Bishop 
Asbury,  and  the  impaired  state  of  the  health  of  Bishop 
M'Kendree,  and  the  increasing  extent  of  the  work,  is  such 
as  to  require  immediate  and  adequate  strengthening."  They 
therefore  recommended  "  that  two  additional  Bishops  be 
elected  and  consecrated."  On  the  14th  of  May,  Enoch 
George  and  Robert  Richford  Roberts,  were  elected  by 
ballot,  the  former  having  fifty-seven  and  the  latter  fifty-five 
votes  out  of  the  one  hundred  that  were  cast. 

In  reference  to  the  circumstances  of  this  election  we  will 
add  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  the  Rev.  James 
Quinn,  a  venerable  member  of  the  Ohio  conference.  Allu- 
ding to  the  views  of  the  northern  conferences  in  selecting 
Mr.  Roberts  as  their  candidate  for  the  episcopacy,  Mr. 
Quinn  says :  "  When  we  of  the  west  heard  this,  we  were 
surprised  and  could  scarcely  believe  the  report.  But  we 
soon  found  that  they  were  in  good  earnest  about  the  matter, 
and  that  New  York  and  New  England  would  most  willingly 
go  with  the  Philadelphians,  for  his  election  to  the  episcopal 
office.  We  heartily  approved  of  the  promotion  of  our 
fellow  backwoodsman,  and  rejoiced  to  hear  of  the  event, 
unexpected  though  it  was.  Thus,  fifteen  years  after  I 
heard  him  deliver  his  first  exhortation,  I  saw  him  placed  in 
the  episcopacy  by  the  election  of  the  General  conference,  and 
the  ordination  of  Bishop  M'Kendree.  Though  elevated  to 
the  most  important  office  in  the  Church,  he  still  retained 
the  character  of  being  a  modest,  unassuming  man." 

In  the  interval  between  his  election  and  ordination,  he 
had  great  mental  conflict  in  order  to  ascertain  his  duty, 
with  regard  to  accepting  the  office.    He  thought  his  brethren 


169  ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.     [cHAP.  Vll." 

had  altogether  overrated  him,  and  that  he  could  not  meet 
cheir  expectations,  even  if  he  should  consent  to  serve  them 
as  Bishop.  On  this  occasion,  he  had  recourse  to  his  old 
friend  and  faithful  adviser,  the  Rev.  James  Quinn,  who  gave 
him  such  salutary  lessons  of  advice  in  1801,  when  per- 
plexed concerning  his  call  to  the  ministry.  Brother  Quinn, 
in  a  letter  to  the  writer  of  this  work,  referring  to  Mr. 
Roberts'  agitated  state  of  mind,  says,  "After  his  election, 
and  just  before  his  ordination,  he  observed  to  me,  '  I  have 
a  great  conflict  and  serious  misgivings  relative  to  my  elec- 
tion. I  think  my  brethren  have  greatly  overrated  me ;  and 
I  doubt  whether  I  can  say,  that  I  am  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  take  upon  me  the  office.'  I  said,  '  Your  opinion 
about  what  your  brethren  think  of  you  is  not  the  question ; 
but  are  you  not  persuaded  that  you  are  truly  called  to  this 
ministration  according  to  the  will  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ?' 
He  replied,  'I  believe  it  to  be  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God, 
that  the  office  should  exist  in  the  Church,  and  if  I  can 
receive  the  voice  of  my  brethren,  as  an  expression  of  the 
will  of  God,  then  1  may  safely  answer  the  question  in  the 
affirmative.'  This  conversation  occurred  just  at  the  close 
of  Bishop  Asbury's  interment,  and  before  we  left  the  Eutaw 
church-yard,  Baltimore." 

We  present  to  our  readers  the  letter  or  testimonial  of 
ordination  of  Bishop  Roberts  from  Bishop  M'Kendree : 

"Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  I,  William 
M'Kendree,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America,  under  the  protection  of 
Almighty  God,  and  with  a  single  eye  to  his  glory,  by  the 
imposition  of  my  hands  and  prayer,  (being  assisted  therein 
by  Philip  Bruce,  Nelson  Reed  and  William  Phoebus,  elders 
of  the  same  Church,)  have,  on  the  day  and  date  hereof,  set 
apart,  consecrated  and  ordained  Robert  Richford  Rob- 
erts, (a  native  of  Frederick  county  in  the  state  of  Mary- 
land, born  the  2d  day  of  August,  1778,  he  having  been 


CHAP.  VII.3     ENTRANCE  ON  THE  EPISCOPACY.  169 

ordained  a  deacon  in  the  year  1804,  and  an  elder  in  the 
year  1806,  by  Francis  Asbury,  Bishop,  as  his  credentials 
testify,  and  now  having  been  duly  elected  by  the  General 
conference,)  to  the  office  and  work  of  a  Bishop,  or  Super- 
intendent, in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  the 
United  States  of  America — a  man  whom  we  judge  to  be 
well  qualified  for  that  office  and  work,  and  fit  to  preside 
over  and  feed  the  flock  of  Christ,  so  long  as  his  spirit, 
practice  and  doctrine  are  such  as  becomes  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  he  shall  submit  to  and  maintain  the  Dis- 
cipline and  order  in  the  said  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  America. 

"In  testimony  and  confirmation  whereof,  I  have  here- 
unto set  my  hand  and  seal,  this  17th  day  of  May,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  1816. 

"  William  M'Kendree,  [l.  s.]" 

On  the  foregoing  letter  of  ordination,  we  present  the 
following  remarks: 

1.  The  document  ascribes  to  the  General  conference,  or 
body  of  elders,  the  chief  power  in  the  Church,  from  whom 
the  Bishop  derives  his  power  or  office,  and  to  whom  he  is 
accountable  for  the  proper  discharge  of  his  duties. 

2.  The  ordination  is  presbyterial.  That  is,  presbyters 
partake  in  the  ordination.  Philip  Bruce,  Nelson  Reed  and 
Wm.  Phoebus,  presbyters,  took  part  in  the  ordination 
of  Bishop  Roberts,  in  connection  with  Wm.  M'Kendree, 
Bishop,  or  Superintendent. 

3.  The  testimonial  uses  Bishop  or  Superintendent  as 
convertible  terms. 

4.  The  office  must  be,  and  is,  vacated  whenever  the  per- 
son ordained  becomes  heretic  in  doctrine,  sinful  in  spirit  or 
practice,  or  acts  at  variance  with  the  Discipline  and  order 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.    The  document  says, 

So  long  as  his  spirit,  practice  and  doctrine  are  such  as 
becomes  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  shall  submit  to 
15 


170  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIII. 

and  maintain  the  Discipline  and  order  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  America." 

On  the  whole,  a  Methodist  Bishop  must  submit  to  the 
order  and  Discipline  of  the  Church  himself:  he  is  bound 
to  maintain  it,  and  not  to  mend  or  break  it :  he  must  be 
sound  in  doctrine,  exemplary  in  practice,  and  pious  in  his 
spirit  and  temper:  the  Gospel  of  Christ  must  be  the  rule 
of  his  life ;  and  whenever  he  ceases  to  be  what  is  here 
required,  he  must  cease  also  to  be  Bishop. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 

In  connection  with  the  life  of  Bishop  Roberts,  we  may 
present  to  the  reader  a  brief  survey  of  the  manner  of  con- 
stituting a  Methodist  Bishop,  the  character  he  is  required 
to  sustain,  the  powers  with  which  he  is  invested,  the  duties 
ne  has  to  perform,  his  accountability  to  the  Church,  and 
such  other  matters  as  arise  therefrom. 

1.  The  constituting,  making,  or  ordination  of  a  Bishop, 
is  thus  pointed  out  in  the  Discipline,  page  27:  "  Quest.  1. 
How  is  a  Bishop  to  be  constituted  ?  Jlnsw.  By  the  elec- 
tion of  the  General  conference,  and  the  laying  on  of  the 
hands  of  three  Bisliops,  or  at  least  of  one  Bishop  and  two 
elders."  From  this  we  learn  that  the  constituting,  making, 
or  ordination,  consists  of  two  things,  namely,  election  by 
the  General  conference,  and  imposition  of  hands  or  con- 
secration. 

He  is  elected  by  the  General  conference.  This  body  is 
mvestcd  with  the  supreme  authority  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  from  them  the  Bishop  derives  his 
powers,  and  to  them  he  is  accountable  for  the  .right  exercise 
of  them.    No  Bishop,  nor  any  number  of  them,  have  any 


CHAP.  Till.]  DUTIES  OP  BISHOPS.  171 

more  power  to  make  a  new  Bishop  than  a  private  member 
has.  The  Bishop  is  elected  to  his  office  by  the  body  of 
elders,  or  pastors,  who  feed  the  flock;  he  is  accountable  to 
them  for  the  proper  discharge  of  his  duties ;  and  this  body 
may  expel  him,  if  they  find  reason  to  do  so. 

Laying  on  of  hands  is  the  mere  act  of  consecrating  a 
Bishop.  This  is  performed  by  three  Bishops,  or  by  one 
Bishop  and  two  elders.  But  if,  in  consequence  of  death, 
expulsion,  or  any  other  cause,  there  be  no  Bishop  remain- 
ing in  the  Church,  then  the  elders,  or  any  three  of  them 
selected  by  the  General  conference,  shall  ordain  one  accord- 
ing to  the  form  of  Discipline.  Hence,  our  Bishops  are 
properly  ordained  by  the  General  conference,  first  by  elec- 
tion, and  next  by  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  a  Bishop 
and  two  elders,  or  by  the  elders  themselves,  to  whom  the 
supreme  power  belongs.  Indeed,  the  mere  imposition  of 
hands  is  of  litde  importance,  and  could  be  very  well  dis- 
pensed with,  did  the  General  conference  see  fit.  Besides, 
a  separate  consecration,  in  addition  to  election,  has  the 
appearance  of  favoring  the  sentiment  that  Methodist  Bish- 
ops are  considered  a  distinct  order  of  clergy ;  whereas  they 
are  of  the  same  order  as  presbyters ;  that  is,  they  are  them- 
selves presbyters,  to  whom  certain  powers  are  committed. 
Still,  there  is  Scriptural  precedent  for  the  imposition  of 
hands.  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  separated  to  a  particular 
work  by  imposition  of  hands  and  prayer.  Acts  xiv. 

Ordination,  then,  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is 
prcsbyterial ;  that  is,  it  is  derived  from,  and  is  under  the 
control  of  the  body  of  presbyters.  Mr.  Wesley,  Dr.  Coke 
and  Mr.  Creighton,  who  ordained  Richard  Whatcoat  and 
Thomas  Vasey,  were  presbyters;  and  those,  too,  who 
ordained  Dr.  Coke  a  Superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  were  presbyters.  Perhaps,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  very  appearance  of  an  order  of  clergy  superior  to  pres- 
byters, as  well  as  to  preserve  the  complete  oneness  of  the 


172 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


fCHAP.  VIII. 


entire  ministry,  imposition  of  hands  in  appointing  Bishops 
had  better  be  dispensed  with :  a  mere  certificate  of  office 
would  fully  answer  every  purpose  provided  for  in  Scrip- 
ture, and  designed  to  be  accomplished  by  the  appointment 
of  Methodist  Bishops.  This  is,  however,  a  point  not 
worth  contending  for. 

2.  The  character  of  a  Methodist  Bishop  may  be  learned 
from  the  Scriptural  lessons  in  the  ordination  service,  the 
other  parts  of  the  service,  and  the  Bishop's  letter  or  parch- 
ment of  election  and  consecration. 

In  the  questions  and  answers  comprising  the  examin- 
ation of  a  Bishop  in  the  ordination  service,  the  Bishop  to 
be  ordained  is  expected  to  conform  to  the  following  require- 
ments : 

He  is  required  to  believe  that  the  Scriptures  contain  all 
doctrine  necessary  for  salvation  through  faith  in  Christ ;  and 
to  promise  that  he  will  instruct  only  out  of  Scripture,  and 
teach  nothing  except  what  is  proved  therefrom.  He  is 
required  to  pray  for  the  true  understanding  of  Scripture 
that  he  may  teach  and  exhort  with  wholesome  doctrine,  and 
to  withstand  and  convince  the  gainsayers. 

The  following  questions  and  answers  will  fully  show 
the  moral  qualities  required  of  a  Bishop  in  our  Church: 

"  The  Bishop.  Are  you  ready  with  faithful  diligence  to 
banish  and  drive  away  all  erroneous  and  strange  doctrines 
contrary  to  God's  word,  and  both  privately  and  openly  to 
call  upon  and  encourage  others  to  the  same? 

^'^  Answer.   I  am  ready,  the  Lord  being  my  helper. 

"  The  Bishop.  Will  you  deny  all  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lust,  and  live  soberly,  righteously  and  godly  in 
this  present  world,  that  you  may  show  yourself  in  all 
things  an  example  of  good  works  unto  others,  that  the 
adversary  may  be  ashamed,  having  nothing  to  say  against 
you? 

"  Answ.    I  will  so  do,  the  Lord  being  my  helper. 


CHAP.  VIII.3  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


173 


The  Bishop.  Will  you  maintain  and  set  forward  as 
much  as  shall  lie  in  you,  quietness,  love,  and  peace  among 
all  men:  and  such  as  shall  be  unquiet,  disobedient,  and 
criminal  within  your  district,  correct  and  punish  according 
to  such  authority  as  you  have  by  God's  word,  and  as  shall 
be  committed  unto  you  ? 

"  Answ.    I  will  so  do,  by  the  help  of  God. 

"  The  Bishop.  Will  you  be  faithful  in  ordaining,  send- 
ing, or  laying  hands  upon  others  ? 

"  dnsw.    I  will  so  be,  by  the  help  of  God. 

"  The  Bishop.  Will  you  show  yourself  gentle,  and  be 
merciful  for  Christ's  sake,  to  poor  and  needy  people,  and 
to  all  strangers  destitute  of  help  ? 

"  Answ.    I  will  so  show  myself,  by  God's  help." 

The  moral  and  ministerial  qualifications  of  a  Methodist 
Bishop  are  such  as  the  Scripture  requires ;  and  it  is  gratify- 
ing to  learn  that  these  qualities  have  been  possessed  by  our 
Bishops  in  a  very  high  degree.  Indeed  the  care  taken  in 
their  selection  is  such,  that  none  except  men  of  the  highest 
religious  and  ministerial  qualifications  can  be  elected  for 
this  important  office. 

3.  As  to  the  Scriptural  authority  on  which  the  appoint- 
ment of  Superintendents  rests,  we  may  observe,  that 
Timothy  and  Titus  were  endowed  with  authority  over 
several  Churches,  embracing  the  presbyters,  deacons  and 
people.  These  evangelists  exercised  supervision,  the  one 
over  Crete  and  the  other  over  Ephesus;  and  while  the 
powers  exercised  by  them  seem  to  be  greater  than  those  of 
pastors  in  charge  of  one  single  congregation,  yet  they  do 
not  accord  with  the  powers  claimed  by  prelates.  Never- 
theless, the  following  inferences  appear  to  be  perfectly 
legitimate. 

(1.)  That  a  degree  of  superiority  exercised  by  some 
pastors  over  others,  cannot  be  contrary  to  the  nature  of 
Church  government.    The  apostles  may  have  appointed 
15* 


174 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


[chap.  VIII. 


other  pastors  over  Churches,  as  they  did  Timothy  over 
Ephesus,  and  Titus  over  Crete. 

(2.)  It  is  not  unscriptural  for  men  to  have  jurisdiction 
over  more  than  one  particular  Church  or  congregation ;  for 
such  a  power  Timothy  had  over  many  elders,  and  Titus 
over  all  Crete. 

(3.)  The  governing  of  Churches,  or  the  ordaining  of 
elders  in  them,  was  not  so  limited  to  the  apostles  but 
that  it  might  be  intrusted  to  others  in  the  Church  after  their 
decease. 

(4.)  That  such  powers  were  vested  in  the  elders 
appears  from  these  words :  "  The  things  which  thou  hast 
heard  from  me,  confirmed  by  many  witnesses,  commit  thou 
to  faithful  men  who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also." 
Titus  was  to  ordain  elders  in  every  city.  These  elders 
were  the  successors  of  the  apostles  and  of  Timothy  and 
Titus,  and  there  were  several  of  them  in  each  Church. 
The  body  of  elders  were  therefore  the  successors  of  the 
apostles,  and  still  are  their  successors,  and  the  appointment 
of  Bishops  or  Superintendents  belongs  to  them,  and  is  under 
their  control. 

(5.)  But  then  there  is  nothing  in  the  case  of  Timothy 
or  Titus  to  authorize,  much  less  to  render  imperative,  a 
distinct  order  of  clergy  having  the  power  of  jurisdiction  and 
the  right  of  ordination,  except  so  far  as  tliese  are  intrusted 
to  them  and  controlled  by  the  presbyters  or  body  of  pastors, 
to  whom  these  were  left  in  charge  by  the  apostles  themselves. 

Methodist  episcopacy  recognizes  these  principles,  is 
founded  on  them,  and  its  practices  correspond  with  them. 
It  rejects  what  is  called  the  distinct  order  of  Bishops,  and 
resolves  all  its  power  into  the  body  of  pastors  and  people, 
from  whom  it  derives  its  authority,  and  to  whom  it  is 
responsible  for  its  proper  exercise  ;  and  thus  it  well  accords 
with  the  principles,  the  spirit  and  the  practice  of  the  New 
Testament  concerning  Church  government. 


CBAP.  VIII.]  DCTIKS  OF  BISHOPS.  175 

4.  "The  duties  of  a  Methodist  Bishop,  as  enumerated  in 
the  Discipline,  are  eight  in  number. 

The  Church  in  her  economy  has  carefully  guarded  against 
all  undefined  power  or  authority  in  her  Bishops.  She  has 
definitely  prescribed  and  imposed  on  them  certain  duties 
which  they  are  bound  to  perform.  The  Bishops  are  not 
members  of  the  General  conference.  They  are  not  the 
delegates  of  any  annual  conference.  They  do  not  vote, 
neither  do  they  debate,  as  Bishops,  in  the  General  confer- 
ence. They  may  deliver  their  opinions  on  any  topic,  but 
not  as  debaters.  One  of  them,  however,  is  president,  while 
in  the  chair,  but  here  he  only  discharges  a  specified  duty. 
There  is  no  upper  and  distinct  house  of  Bishops,  nor  yet 
do  they,  as  just  stated,  even  mingle  as  voters  or  debaters 
with  the  members  of  the  conference.  They  are  required 
only  to  perform  such  duties  as  are  assigned  them  in  the 
Discipline  of  the  Church.  And  they  are  called  to  a  most 
scrutinizing  account  at  each  General  conference,  respecting 
the  proper  discharge  of  their  duties.  And  even  in  case  of 
trial  and  expulsion,  they  have  no  appeal  to  another  tribunal ; 
as  the  General  conference,  which  is  the  body  that  acts  in 
their  case,  is  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  Church.  They 
preside  also  in  the  annual  conferences,  and  yet  they  are  not 
members  of  any  one  of  tliem. 

To  preside  in  our  conferences  is  the  first  specified  duty 
of  a  Methodist  Superintendent.  This  comprehends  the 
presidency  of  the  General  conference,  and  of  the  annual 
conferences. 

The  Bishops  are  the  presidents  of  the  General  confer- 
ence. There  is  no  one  specially  selected,  either  by  the 
General  conference  for  the  time  being,  or  by  themselves,  as 
the  president  of  this  body.  This  is  mutually  agreed  on  by 
the  Bishops  from  time  to  time,  as  suits  their  convenience. 
But  he  that  is  in  the  chair  for  the  time  being  is  president 
alone,  none  of  the  others,  during  that  time,  being  presidents. 


176  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIII. 

So,  properly,  there  is  but  one  president,  and  that  one  is 
whoever  happens  to  be  in  the  chair.  The  senior  Bishop, 
however,  by  usage,  opens  the  General  conference.  His 
seniority  is  dated  from  the  time  of  his  becoming  Bishop ; 
and  if  several  were  elected  at  the  same  time,  the  seniority 
is  ascribed  to  the  one  who  had  the  highest  number  of  votes. 

At  annual  conferences,  when  two  or  more  of  them  are 
present,  but  one  properly  is  the  official  Bishop,  Still  each 
presides  in  turn  to  suit  their  state  of  health  and  other  cir- 
cumstances; and  whatever  Bishop  fills  the  chair,  he  is 
president  alone  while  in  it.  But  as  they  divide  the  confer- 
ences among  themselves,  according  to  a  regular  and  sys- 
tematic plan,  the  one  whose  previously  arranged  duty  it  is 
to  attend  the  conference,  is  the  official  president.  Yet,  in 
all  cases,  as  just  observed,  when  another  Bishop  is  present, 
they  divide  the  official  duties  between  them  as  suits  their 
convenience. 

The  presidency  of  a  conference,  whether  annual  or 
General,  requires  much  knowledge  of  ecclesiastical  affairs. 
There  are  many  difficult  questions  to  be  solved,  and  points 
of  order  to  be  decided.  A  person  who  acts  as  president  or 
moderator  once  or  twice  during  his  life,  must  necessarily, 
from  want  of  practice,  be  a  deficient  and  awkward  officer. 
In  this,  as  in  other  things,  practice  makes  perfect.  But  the 
Methodist  Bishop,  who  presides  over  several  conferences 
each  year,  and  whose  duty  it  is  so  to  do  during  life  or  efficient 
service,  is  always  at  home  in  deciding  clearly  the  most 
difficult  questions  of  order  and  business.  Hence,  much 
time  is  saved  in  the  dispatch  of  the  business  brought  before 
conference,  and  it  is  also  done  with  greater  accuracy. 
Perhaps  one-third  of  the  time  of  conference  is  saved  by  the 
superior  skill  of  a  permanent  president.  Indeed  the  time 
saved  to  the  whole  ministry,  and  therefore  to  the  people,  in 
consequence  of  the  dispatch  occasioned  by  our  well-trained 
and  ready  presidents,  amounts  to  the  Church  to  more  than 


CHAP.  VIII.] 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


17? 


the  pastoral  labor  that  could  be  performed  by  double  the 
number  of  our  Superintendents  during  the  whole  year. 
Our  Bishops,  therefore,  in  the  place  of  being  supernumerary 
officers,  are  economical  savers  of  the  time,  and  consequently 
the  services  of  the  ministry  at  large.  Besides  the  accurate 
and  uniform  manner  in  which  business  is  done  through 
their  instrumentality,  serves  as  a  bond  of  union  in  the 
Cliurch,  and  prevents  many  of  the  errors,  with  their  atten- 
dant evils,  that  would  take  place,  without  such  an  able 
presidency. 

To  fix  the  appointments  for  the  preachers  is  made,  by 
the  decision  of  General  conference,  anotlier  duty  of  a 
Methodist  Bishop. 

It  is  generally  admitted  among  the  number  of  abstract 
rights,  that  the  people  have  the  right  of  choosing  their 
pastors,  and  that  pastors  have  also  a  right  to  choose  what 
people  they  will  serve.  This  in  theory  is  very  well,  but 
it  can  rarely  be  followed  out  in  practice.  Hence,  most 
Churches  have  found  it  necessary  to  restrict  or  regulate  the 
affair  for  the  general  good,  or  to  prevent  the  bad  results  that 
might  grow  out  of  it.  The  Presbyterians  cannot  settle  or 
dismiss  a  minister  without  the  consent  of  the  presbytery; 
nor  the  Protestant  Episcopalians  without  the  consent  of 
their  Bishop.  And  among  those  Churches,  in  which  the 
congregation  and  the  minister  make  the  matter  a  subject  of 
negotiation  between  themselves,  the  will  or  choice  of  the 
minister  and  the  people  is  liable  to  great  variations  and 
corrections.  Where  there  is  a  number  of  congregations, 
say  twenty,  who  choose  the  same  minister,  only  one  of 
them  can  have  his  ministerial  services ;  and  where  there 
arc  twenty  ministers  who  would  choose  the  same  congre- 
gation, only  one  of  them  can  fill  the  office.  Hence,  where 
neither  presbytery.  Bishop,  nor  any  other  power  interferes, 
the  necessity  of  most  cases  will  disappoint  nineteen  out 
of  twenty  of  all  the  congregations  and  ministers  in  any 


178 


DDTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


[chap.  vin. 


one  Church.  The  choice,  therefore,  both  of  ministers  and 
people,  must  yield  to  circumstances. 

There  are  three  fundamental  principles  adopted  in  the 
appointment  of  Methodist  ministers,  independent  of  the 
will  either  of  people  or  preachers.  The  first  is,  the  gen- 
eral good  of  the  whole  Church,  as  well  as  all  the  parts  of  it. 
The  second  is,  suiting  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  people 
as  far  as  is  consistent  with  the  general  good.  And  the 
third  is,  accommodating  the  wishes  and  conveniences  of 
the  preachers,  as  far  as  the  general  good  will  allow,  and 
even  suiting  the  peculiar  views  or  wishes  of  the  people, 
though  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  preachers.  In  follow- 
ing out  these  principles,  especially  the  first,  which  is  the 
fundamental  one,  it  is  believed  that  the  will  of  God  is  more 
especially  consulted  than  in  any  other  way,'  whatever  may 
be  the  means  or  methods  adopted.  And  it  is  right  that  the 
will  of  God,  as  far  as  it  can  be  ascertained,  should  be 
regarded  beyond  every  thing  else.  And  perhaps  the  accom- 
plishing of  the  greatest  amount  of  good,  or  aiming  to  do  so, 
by  lawful  means,  will  approach  as  near  to  following  the 
will  of  God  as  any  other  mode. 

It  is  generally  known,  that  Methodist  preachers  are 
changed  every  two  years  at  furthest,  and  are  liable  to  be 
changed  every  year,  and,  if  necessary,  even  oftener.  This 
is  tlie  rule  respecting  all  those  on  circuits  and  stations. 
Presiding  ciders  may  continue  four  years  in  the  same  dis- 
trict. Those  in  colleges,  also  editors,  hook  agents  and 
some  others,  may  remain  in  their  offices  longer  still. 

The  Bishop  who  presides  has  the  duty  imposed  on  him 
of  officially  stationing  the  preachers.  We  do  not  call  it  a 
poiver  or  authority  which  may  or  may  not  be  exercised ; 
but  we  call  it,  with  our  Discipline,  a  duty  which  7nust  be 
performed  by  the  presiding  Bishop,  and  which  he  is  not 
at  liberty  to  omit  or  neglect,  except  at  the  expense  of  his 
official  standing.    He  must  station  every  preaciier  in  the 


CHAP.  Vin.]  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


179 


conference.  He  must  allow  none,  except  the  presiding 
elders,  to  remain  more  than  two  years  successively  in  the 
same  circuit  or  station.  It  is  true,  he  is  intrusted,  in  the 
performance  of  his  duty,  with  very  great  responsibility. 
For  with  him  is  confided  the  sacred  and  important  deposit 
of  apportioning  to  their  fields  of  labor  the  pastors  of  the 
flocks.  There  must  be  somewhere  a  power  to  decide,  and 
in  our  Church  it  is  intrusted  to  the  Bishops,  under  the  per- 
suasion that  this  is  productive  of  the  greatest  amount  of 
spiritual  good,  especially  in  an  itinerant  ministry.  It  is 
not  necessary  that  this  should  be  intrusted  to  one  man,  as 
is  manifest  from  the  practice  of  those  who  place  it  in  the 
hands  of  a  committee. 

Nevertheless,  this  mode  of  stationing  ministers  is  accord- 
ing to  the  wish,  or  at  least  the  choice,  both  of  the  people 
and  preachers,  who,  for  the  general  good,  yield  their  own 
abstract  rights,  and  thus  mutually  adopt  a  universal  plan. 
The  preachers  agree  to  be  stationed  wherever  they  can  be 
most  useful;  and  the  people,  for  accompUshing  so  noble 
an  end,  agree  to  receive  such  preachers  as  may  be  sent 
them  according  to  this  preconceived  plan.  Both  yield 
their  preferences;  and  both  are  satisfied:  Nor  are  any 
sent  contrary  to  their  will  or  choice  to  any  place,  because 
they  choose  and  agree  to  go  to  any  appointment.  Nor  do 
the  people  receive  preachers  contrary  to  their  will,  for  they 
too  resolve  to  be  satisfied  with  their  pastors ;  and  they  are, 
as  a  whole,  better  satisfied  with  this  arrangement  than  they 
would  be  with  any  other.  And  we  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  would 
never  agree  to  change  this  for  a  different  method.  It  is, 
therefore,  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  either  preachers  or 
people  are  dissatisfied  with  this  mode  of  supply.  Directly 
the  contrary  is  the  case. 

The  stationing  of  preachers  is  not  done  capriciously  or 
recklessly,  but  wisely  and  after  the  most  deliberate  con- 


180 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


[chap.  VIII 


sultation.  The  presiding  elders  are  the  counselors,  and, 
indeed,  the  assistants  of  the  Bishops  in  making  out  the 
appointments.  They  are  intimately  acquainted  both  with 
the  people  and  preachers,  and  are,  therefore,  the  most 
impartial  aids  that  could  be  found  to  assist  in  this  matter. 
The  Bishop  always  stations  preachers  with  the  advice  of 
the  presiding  elders. 

Besides,  the  several  circuits  and  stations  have  full  access 
to  the  Bishop  and  presiding  elders,  who  can  represent  their 
cases,  and  present  their  petitions  or  wishes,  under  the  assur- 
ance that  every  thing  will  be  well  considered  and  matured. 
But  so  well  are  the  wants  of  the  people  attended  to,  and  so 
well  are  they  pleased  with  their  supplies,  that  compara- 
tively few  petitions  for  individual  preachers  are  sent  to  the 
Bishops.  The  few,  however,  that  are  sent  present  a  great 
variety. of  cases,  a  brief  survey  of  which  will,  no  doubt, 
be  interesting,  instructive  and  satisfactory  to  the  reader. 
We  have  now  in  our  possession  a  considerable  number 
of  such  petitions  sent  to  Bishop  Roberts  from  circuits,  sta- 
tions, individuals  and  preachers,  which  exhibit  the  work 
of  stationing  in  a  very  clear  and  interesting  light. 

Some  petition  for  talented  preachers.  A  petition  before 
us  from  the  committee  of  a  quarterly  meeting  conference, 
states :  "  We  verily  believe  this  to  be  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant stations  within  the  conference.  It  contains  about 
three  thousand  souls,  is  the  centre  of  the  state  and  the  seat 
of  government.  It  is  the  residence  of  many  public  officers, 
is  resorted  to  by  many  strangers  of  distinction,  and  has 
many  flourishing  schools,  whose  pupils  attend  church. 
We  want  a  minister  whose  talents  would  enable  him  to 
answer  the  expectations  of  those  attending  his  ministry ;  to 
meet  with  promptness  and  counteract  successfully  any  im- 
proper course  which  our  brethren  of  other  denominations 
may  take  against  us;  and  to  secure  the  attendance  at  our 
church  of  as  many  of  the  non-professors  as  possible.  We 


CHAP.  Vin.3 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


181 


have,  therefore,  to  beg  that  you  will  send  us  one  of  your 
most  talented  preachers.  Without  detracting  from  others, 
we  would  suggest  that  brother  P.,  for  many  reasons,  would 
admirably  meet  our  wants.  A  sense  of  duty,  in  view  of 
doing  good,  must  be  our  apology  for  presenting  this  request. 
We  conclude,  by  praying  that  the  Spirit  of  God  may  pre- 
side over  all  your  deliberations." 

Another  class  of  petitioners  plead  for  a  preacher  who  is 
well  skilled  in  promoting  the  cause  of  Sunday  schools,  mis- 
sions, and  the  other  benevolent  and  religious  operations  of 
the  day. 

Some  again  petition  for  single  preachers,  urging  that 
they  are  unable  to  support  a  man  with  a  family.  And  these 
requests  are  made  to  an  extent  that  would  more  than  ex- 
haust the  number  of  single  men ;  and  the  more  so,  as  those 
generally  who  petition  for  them  expect  the  very  rare  quali- 
fications of  aged  ministers  in  the  persons  of  the  young  men 
whom  they  wish  to  be  sent  them. 

Others  petition  for  the  return  of  preachers  the  second 
year.  Various  are  the  reasons  assigned  in  the  petitions  pre- 
sented for  this  purpose.  The  improving  financial  state  of 
the  circuit  or  station  is  urged  for  the  re-appointment  of  their 
former  good  financier.  Others  plead  the  general  cause  of 
religion,  or  the  success  of  the  previous  year,  as  a  reason  for 
re-appointment. 

A  good  disciplinarian  is  frequently  called  for,  in  order 
to  regulate  the  concerns  of  the  Church,  and  bring  the 
people  back  to  the  strictness  of  Methodist  Discipline,  or 
preserve  them  in  it. 

Sometimes  after  appoiijtments  are  made  at  conference, 
the  people  are  not  exactly  suited,  and  they  apply  to  the 
Bishop  to  send  them  another  preacher  in  the  place  of  the 
one  already  appointed.  This  presents  one  of  the  most 
difficult  cases  within  the  whole  range  of  appointments. 
Generally  those  who  ask  for  the  changes  are  people  of 


182 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS, 


[chap.  VIII. 


unreasonable  demands,  who  think  their  clainis  for  superior 
preachers  are  more  important  than  those  of  the  whole  con- 
ference besides.  They  are  also  generally  more  or  less 
petulant.  As  far  as  we  have  been  enabled  to  learn,  the 
changes  that  have  occasionally  been  made  to  suit  those 
persons  have  not  been  successful  in  accomplishing  the  con- 
ciliatory object  which  the  Bishop,  making  the  change,  had 
in  view.  Besides,  in  almost  all  cases,  even  where  tlie 
people  have  received  cordially  the  preacher  sent  them, 
though  they  considered  that  they  did  not  receive  their  due 
in  ministerial  talents,  the  result  has  been  most  happy,  so 
much  so  that  at  the  conclusion  of  the  year,  they  have  been 
desirous  of  having  tlie  same  preacher  re-appointed. 

"Sometimes  petitions  are  presented  from  seamen's  chapels, 
and  a  preacher  who  has  gifts  to  suit  men  of  nautical  pursuits 
is  wanted.  In  these  instances,  too,  the  good  judgment  both 
of  the  Bishop  and  his  advisers  is  put  to  the  test. 

Afflictions  on  the  part  of  preachers  and  their  families  are 
sometimes  urged  as  reasons  for  particular  appointments. 
We  give  extracts  from  a  few  letters. 

One  writes  as  follows  :  "  From  my  family  circumstances, 
I  deem  it  to  be  my  duty  to  make  a  request  in  reference  to 
my  appointment.  My  labors  for  the  past  year  have  been 
in  a  section  of  country  that  is  very  sickly.  My  companion, 
who  formerly  possessed  a  sound  constitution,  has  been 
visited  with  a  severe  attack  of  fever ;  and,  before  entirely 
recovering,  she  was  taken  with  a  relapse,  accompanied  with 
a  state  of  derangement.  It  was  thought  by  some  that  she 
would  never  regain  her  reason.  This,  however,  she  iias 
regained;  but  not  her  health.  There  is,  at  present,  a 
prospect  that  if  proper  means  are  used,  her  health  also  will 
be  restored.  Her  parents  live  in  the  vicinity  of  this  place, 
with  whom  she  at  present  resides.  I  fear  I  could  not  devote 
my  lime  and  labors  to  the  service  of  the  Church,  if  I  should 
have  to  remove  my  family  from  the  care  of  our  friends.  I 


CHAP.  VIII.3  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  183 

possess  but  a  feeble  constitution,  yet  still  I  ardently  desire 
to  devote  my  little  strength  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
Church.  This  I  will  do  most  cheerfully  if  I  can  receive 
an  appointment  convenient  to  my  family,  as  I  should  then 
not  have  to  spend  much  time  in  riding  to  and  from  my  field 
of  labor.  It  is  painful  for  me  thus  to  make  a  request  of 
you ;  as  I  wish  to  be  submissive  to  the  order  of  the  Church 
in  all  things.  I  shall  leave  my  case  in  your  hands,  by 
barely  making  known  my  condition." 

Another  writes  thus :  "  If  I  were  to  consult  my  own 

interest,  I  would  say  that  I  could  travel  F   H  

circuit,  with  more  convenience  than  any  other,  as  I  have  a 
brother  living  there,  whose  house  would  be  my  home ;  but 
if  you  should  think  best  to  send  me  to  some  other  part  of 
the  work,  I  will  go  cheerfully,  on  condition  that  I  may  be 
enabled  to  provide  comfortably  for  my  family." 

An  aged  minister  of  great  worth  sends  this  petition  to 
the  Bishop:  "As  the  interests  of  my  motherless  children 
require  my  special  and  personal  care  and  attention,  if  you, 
in  arranging  the  appointments,  could  indulge  me  with  a 

place  in  one  of  the  stations,  or  on  the  circuit  of  ,  it 

would  be  an  accommodation  for  which  I  would  be  thankful. 
I  am  not  wont  to  make  such  requests,  and  this  is  my  first. 
I  hope  it  will  be  excused." 

The  petitions  of  the  parents  and  near  relatives  of  preach- 
ers are  sometimes  urged  with  great  feeling,  and  indeed  much 
reason,  in  reference  to  particular  appointments. 

The  following  addressed  to  Bishop  Roberts,  is  from  a 
member  of  the  Church  in  behalf  of  the  mother  of  a 
preacher:  "Since  you  left  us,  a  subject,  not  very  remote 
from  your  matters,  has  been  agitated  in  my  mind,  which  I 
thought  I  would  hint  to  you.  It  is  in  relation  to  brother 
W.  O.  L.  Sister  L.,  his  mother,  is  in  the  decline  of 
life ;  and  since  the  death  of  Mary  Ann,  she  appears  very 
much  distressed.    W.  O.  is  her  only  boy,  in  whom  her 


184  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIH. 

heart  is  bound  up.  If  he  could,  without  any  derange- 
ment of  your  affairs,  be  placed  on  S  circuit,  so  that 

he  could  see  her  occasionally,  it  would  be  a  great  comfort 
to  the  old  lady." 

The  annexed  importunate  appeal  is  from  the  father  and 
mother  of  a  preacher :  "  By  some  means,  it  has  got  into 
circulation  here,  that  brother  S.  has  declared  that  he  will 
use  his  influence  with  the  present  conference  to  have  W. 
in  his  district  next  year.  This  would  be  moving  him  one 
or  two  hundred  miles  at  least  from  us.  In  our  journey  to 
the  better  world,  we  have  our  joys  and  our  sorrows.  Under 
some  of  our  sorrows,  all  we  can  do,  is  to  ask  for  grace  to 
help  us  to  bear  them  with  patience  and  resignation.  Now, 
as  the  above  declaration,  if  effected,  will  add  much  to  the 
list  of  our  sorrows,  and  as  we  view  it  to  be  of  that  kind, 
under  which  it  would  hardly  be  proper  to  ask  for  grace  to 
bear  it  patiently,  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  to  ask  for 
its  being  withheld,  so  that  we  may  not  be  afflicted  unneces- 
sarily. First,  because  we  are  getting  old,  and  he  is  our  only 
child.  To  this  you  probably  may  reply  that  we  are  oppos- 
ing our  private  feelings  to  the  good  of  the  cause  at  large. 
We  have  had  this  view  of  the  subject  under  consideration; 
and  conclude  we  are  justified  in  saying  the  contrary:  for 
this  reason — his  object,  and  the  wish  of  the  conference,  is, 
that  he  should  preach.  We  do  not  wish  him  to  desist  in 
the  least.  But  you  may  say,  there  is  a  probability  of  his 
being  more  useful  where  he  is  not  known.  We  cannot  see 
why  this  should  be  the  case.  On  this  circuit,  he  is  par- 
tially known  ;  and  certain  we  are,  that  the  people  would  be 
very  glad  he  should  be  appointed  to  labor  here.  Moreover, 
our  opinion  is,  that  the  probability  of  his  being  useful  here, 
is  not  only  as  great,  but  far  greater  than  at  any  place  where 
he  is  a  total  stranger.  A  revival  is  going  on  at  this  time  in 
many  parts  of  the  circuit;  and  we  believe  we  speak  the 
sentiments  of  many,  when  we  say,  he  seems  peculiarly 


CHAP.  VIU.]  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  185 

adapted  to  labor  in  such  places.  Will  you  silence  us  at 
once,  by  saying,  all  these  conclusions  arise  from  our  over- 
weening fondness  ?  Far  from  this  silencing  us  ;  for  we  feel 
something  within  that  testifies  to  the  contrary.  But  we 
have  another  reason  for  wishing  him  to  be  sent  to  this  circuit. 
He  is  encumbered  with  a  family,  and  destitute  of  the  means 
of  moving  far.  This,  we  think,  ought  to  have  considerable 
weight  in  making  out  the  appointments  of  the  preachers. 
For  we  believe  it  is  pretty  generally  conceded,  that  the 
traveling  preachers  have  a  laborious  time  of  it  at  best,  and 
for  which  their  pay  in  this  life  is  inadequate,  even  should 
they  get  all  that  is  allowed  them.  Would  it  not  be  adding 
considerably  to  their  labor,  and  to  the  exhausting  of  their 
stipend,  to  send  them  from  one  extreme  part  of  the  conference 
to  the  other  ?  We  think  it  would ;  and  feel  a  confidence  that 
this  point  will  be  duly  considered.  Should  it  not  be  deemed 
expedient  to  send  him  to  this  circuit,  permit  us  to  name  M. 
In  sending  him  to  either  place,  much  saving  in  the  article 
of  money  would  be  effected,  as  I  have  made  some  arrange- 
ment for  the  accommodation  of  his  family,  being  impressed 
with  the  hope  that  he  will  be  appointed  to  one  of  the  places. 
The  subject  is  before  you,  and  permit  us  to  ask  you  not  to 
treat  it  with  inditference.  I  write  under  the  impression  of 
your  presiding  in  the  conference.  If  you  should  not,  you 
may  hand  this  to  the  person  that  does,  and  aid  our  request 
if  you  please." 

We  find  the  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  Philip  Gatch, 
and  as  it  is  the  only  letter  we  have  ever  seen  from  his  hand 
we  publish  it  entire,  especially  as  it  is  very  brief.  It  is  dated 
August  27th,  1829,  and  addressed  to  Bishop  Roberts:  "If 
consistent  with  your  will  and  judgment,  as  you  have  George 
under  your  jurisdiction,  I  should  be  pleased  if  you  could 
give  him  a  station  the  coming  year  in  one  of  the  neighboring 
circuits.  I  am  old,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  near 
at  hand,  and  I  should  be  glad  of  his  company  at  times, 


186  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [CHAP.  VlII, 

while  I  remain  in  tliis  world.  He  is  my  Benjamin;  but  I 
have  freely  given  him  up  to  God,  and  the  work  of  the 
ministry.  I  hope  you  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  have  taken. 
Peace  be  with  you." 

Sometimes  a  remonstrance  is  sent  to  the  Bishop  to  prevent 
the  re-appointment  of  a  preacher  the  second  year,  or  even 
to  prevent  a  certain  preacher  being  appointed  for  the  first 
time.  These,  too,  must  be  listened  to,  and  the  true  merits 
of  the  objections  duly  weighed,  in  order  to  prevent  future 
difficulties. 

Transferring  from  one  conference  to  another  is  sometimes 
one  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  stationing  preachers. 
Properly,  the  Bishops,  according  to  Discipline,  have  the 
power  of  transferring  from  one  conference  to  another,  guided, 
as  they  are,  by  their  good  judgment  in  this  as  well  as  in  other 
matters.  When  a  conference  is  full,  the  members  very  gener- 
ally are  averse  to  transfers.  Some  do  not  wish  the  transfer 
among  them  of  those  who  are  called  superior  preachers,  as 
such  may  be  said  to  encroach  on  the  privileges  that  otherwise 
might  be  the  lot  of  the  leading  men  of  the  conference  to 
which  the  transfer  is  desired.  Others  do  not  want  the 
transfer  of  preachers  below  mediocrity,  as  these  are  no  real 
acquisition.  There  is  likewise  a  solitary  preacher  here  and 
there,  who  is  fond  of  change,  and  the  importunities  of  such 
for  transfers  have  embarrassed  the  Bishops  not  unfrequently. 
To  conferences  not  well  supplied,  the  Bishops  transfer  with- 
out hesitancy;  but  then  the  conferences  that  lose  their 
members,  if  those  members  are  highly  prized,  object  to 
giving  up  their  valuable  assistance.  On  these,  and  several 
other  accounts,  there  are  no  small  difficulties  connected  with 
the  transferring  of  preachers. 

The  following  is  a  plea  of  a  very  influential  preacher, 
claiming  the  restitution  of  both  tlie  principal  and  interest  of 
the  transfers  made  from  his  conference  to  another.  He 
asks  to  be  refunded  on  the  principles  of  justice:  "It  was 


CHAP.  VIII.]  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  187 

known  to  the  Bishop  that  six  or  eight  of  our  first  men  had 
been  removed  within  three  or  four  years ;  some  to  the  west, 
some  to  New  York,  some  on  foreign  missions,  and  some 
by  death.  But  as  he  has  probably  conferred  with  you  on 
this  matter,  I  need  not  enlarge.  There  is  one  point,  how- 
ever, on  which  I  beg  to  be  heard :  it  was  understood,  I 
believe,  when  the  conference  was  set  off,  that  we  made  them 
a  loan  of  two  or  three  leading  men,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  them  a  start,  whom  they  were  to  return  after  a  short 
time,  with  interest.  And  now,  we  want  our  own.  Should 
they  demur  on  this  ground,  still  we  want  one  or  two,  at 
least,  of  their  first  men ;  and  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  general 
interest  requires  they  should  be  furnished  us.  But  do  not 
misunderstand  me.  We  want  men  of  the  first  class,  or  we 
should  prefer  to  raise  our  own  supply ;  for  common-place 
preachers  can  be  had  by  wholesale  within  our  own  limits." 

Here  is  a  plea  for  a  transfer  in  behalf  of  an  aged  mother, 
presented  to  Bishop  Roberts,  by  the  brother  of  the  preacher 
who  desired  it :  "  We  have  in  Baltimore  an  aged  mother, 
who  is  poor,  and  is  depending  on  us,  in  a  great  measure, 
for  a  support.  She  has  been  a  member  of  the  Church  for 
upward  of  thirty  years.  She  has  been  a  kind  and  pious 
mother ;  and  it  is  our  duty  to  take  care  of  her  the  balance 
of  her  days.  If  my  brother  were  in  this  conference  with 
me,  we  could  render  her  last  days  eas)-  and  comfortable. 
She  grieves  very  much  in  consequence  of  the  great  distance 
of  my  brother  from  her,  and  is  very  anxious  for  him  to  be 
transferred.  Moreover,  she  has  not  had  good  health  for 
some  time ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  it  is  owing  in 
part,  to  my  brother's  being  so  far  away.  At  our  last  con- 
ference I  spoke  to  Bishops  Hedding  and  Emory  on  the 
subject,  and  they  were  perfectly  willing  for  a  transfer  to  be 
made,  and  said  they  would  do  their  best,  but  were  fearful 
they  could  not  do  much,  if  any  thing,  as  they  would  not  be 
at  the  conference.    They  advised  me  to  speak  to  some  ten 


188  *DT7TIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIII. 

or  twelve  of  the  principal  preachers,  and  get  their  consent, 
and  then  write  to  you.  I  have  taken  their  advice.  Brother 
Hedding  said  it  was  not  absolutely  necessary  to  take  tliis 
course;  but  he  remarked,  you  might  feel  a  reluctance  in 
making  the  transfer,  not  knowing  the  minds  of  the  preachers 
of  this  conference  on  the  subject.  I  have  not  had  oppor- 
tunity to  see  as  many  of  the  preachers  as  I  desired,  but  I 
have  not  named  it  to  one  who  refused  to  give  his  cordial 
consent.  All  those  to  whom  I  have  spoken,  say  he  ought 
to  come,  on  his  mother's  account;  and  ■  they  told  me  I  was 
at  liberty  to  use  their  names  in  any  way  I  saw  proper,  in 
writing  to  you." 

From  the  foregoing,  the  reader  will  perceive  the  variety 
and  extent  of  petitions  in  reference  to  the  appointment  of 
preachers ;  and  though  all  petitions  receive  respectful  con- 
sideration, there  are  some  of  them  which  are  rather  per- 
plexing than  otherwise.  When  a  preacher  is  asked  for  by 
name,  and  the  Bishop  does  not  grant  the  request,  and  this  is 
known  to  the  other  preachers,  as  will  almost  always  be  the 
case,  then  the  preacher  sent  to  the  appointment  will  feel 
much  embarrassed,  inasmuch  as  he  will  look  upon  him- 
self, more  or  less,  as  an  intruder.  Besides,  according  to 
the  principles  of  itinerancy,  all  preachers  agree  to  serve 
the  Church  wherever  they  are  appointed,  without  any  spe- 
cial choice  of  their  own;  and  all  the  people,  likewise, 
agree  to  be  thus  served.  There  is,  therefore,  a  mutual 
compact  between  preachers  and  people  to  serve  and  be 
served,  as  the  stationing  powers  shall  decide.  To  ask, 
then,  for  special  favors  on  the  part  of  the  people  or 
preachers,  seems  scarcely  consistent.  If  one  circuit  be 
peculiarly  favored,  then  another  must  suffer  in  order  to 
accommodate.  Likewise,  if  one  preacher  be  peculiarly 
favored  in  his  appointment,  another  must  endure  hard- 
ships and  privations  on  the  account.  The  great  end  aimed 
at  by  the  mutual  concessions  of  people  and  preachers  is  the 


CHAP.  Vin.3  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS, 


189 


general  good ;  and  when  this  can  be  accomplished  and  the 
parties  suited,  with  certain  accommodations,  all  is  well. 

But  the  greater  portion  of  both  preachers  and  people 
are  opposed,  in  general,  to  preachers  asking  particular  sta- 
tions for  themselves,  and,  also,  to  circuits  asking  particular 
preachers ;  because  they  believe  this  interferes,  more  or  less, 
with  the  vigorous  working  of  the  itinerancy,  to  which  our 
whole  Church  are  passionately  attached,  in  consequence 
of  its  manifold  beneficial  results.  It  is  certainly  advan- 
tageous to  the  people;  but  it  is  a  grievous  burden  on  the 
ministry,  and  can  never  be  otherwise. 

In  our  periodicals  communications  have  frequently  been 
published  against  the  practice  of  petitioning  for  particular 
preachers.  We  give,  as  a  specimen,  the  annexed  docu- 
ment, adopted  at  the  second  quarterly  conference  of  New- 
man circuit,  Georgia,  in  the  year  1843,  signed  by  Peyton 
P.  Smith,  presiding  elder,  and  B.  H.  Mitchell,  secretary. 
It  was  published  in  the  Southern  Christian  Advocate: 

"It  appearing  to  the  conference,  that  a  very  common 
practice  has  existed  for  the  last  few  years,  and  is  becoming 
more  common  year  after  year,  for  the  members  of  our 
Church  of  the  various  circuits  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Georgia  annual  conference,  to  send  up  petitions  to  said  con- 
ference, praying  the  conference  would  send  to  them  a 
preacher  therein  named ;  and  these  petitions  not  only  hav- 
ing found  their  way  into  said  conference  from  our  societies, 
but  from  individual  members  of  our  Church ;  and  we,  the 
members  of  said  conference,  deeming  it  to  be  an  uninten- 
tional and  unforeseen,  but  real  encroachment  by  said  soci- 
lies  and  individuals  upon  our  itinerant  system — a  system 
that  we  conceive  to  have  been  matured  when  our  Church 
was  in  its  infancy  by  our  fathers — a  system  that  we  believe 
has  carried  forward  the  great  cause  of  Methodism  to  the 
spiritual  joy  and  comfort  of  a  large  portion  of  the  sons  of 
Adam,  and  the  only  positive  system  that  can  be  adopted, 


190 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIII. 


we  believe,  to  proclaim  adequately  the  glad  tidings  of  salva- 
tion to  a  lost  and  ruined  world :  therefore, 

^'^  Resolved,  By  the  members  of  this  conference,  that 
they  respectfully  suggest  to  our  societies  and  individual 
members  of  this  circuit,  to  abandon  the  practice  of  petition- 
ing as  aforesaid. 

'■'■Resolved,  That  we,  the  members  of  this  conference, 
will  abandon  the  practice  ourselves  of  petitioning  the  con- 
ference, upon  said  subject,  as  individuals  or  members  of  a 
particular  society,  believing  that  the  only  proper  medium 
through  which  such  request  should  be  made,  is  the  pre- 
siding elder. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  will  use  our  influence  in  love,  and 
with  due  deference  to  the  opinions  of  our  brethren,  to 
induce  them  to  abandon  the  practice  as  aforesaid,  and  that 
we  will,  with  them,  endeavor  cheerfully  to  receive  any 
preacher  that  the  Bishop  presiding  at  our  annual  confer- 
ence, may,  for  the  future,  send  to  preach  to  us  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ;  and  that  we  will  endeavor  to  sustain 
him  both  by  our  prayers  and  money. 

'^Resolved,  That  we  recommend  the  adoption  of  these 
resolutions  by  all  the  quarterly  conferences  of  the  various 
circuits  within  the  bounds  of  the  Georgia  annual  confer- 
ence." 

To  petition  for  a  particular  preacher  seems  very  different 
from  petitioning  for  one  of  certain  qualifications,  and  setting 
forth  the  reasons  for  such  a  request.  In  the  former  case, 
there  seems  to  be  an  interference,  as  a  general  rule,  with 
the  privileges  of  other  circuits  or  stations:  in  the  latter, 
there  appears  to  be  little  else  than  information  communi- 
cated respecting  their  spiritual  wants.  Nevertheless,  in 
most  cases,  the  spiritual  wants  of  all,  in  every  part,  will 
be  as  well  supplied  by  the  usual  representation  of  the  pre- 
siding elders.  Still,  some  will  continue  their  mode  of 
petitioning;  and  it  would  be  as  improper  to  reject  such 


CHAP.  Vin.3  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


191 


petitions  as  it  would  be  sometimes  to  grant  them,  as  grant- 
ing them  would  deprive,  in  many  cases,  others  of  their  fair 
and  legitimate  rights. 

The  following  petition  is  from  the  members  of  a  colored 
Church  in  Nashville,  Tennessee.  It  prays  for  the  re-ap- 
pointment of  one  who  had  been  instrumental  in  raising 
them  a  house  of  worship :  "  We,  your  unworthy  servants, 
desire  to  be  unfeignedly  thankful  to  Almighty  God  for  his 
favors  bestowed  on  us,  and  for  all  the  mercies  we  have 
received  from  his  bountiful  hand.  We  would  not  deem  it 
expedient,  from  the  humble  sphere  and  station  that  we  move 
in,  to  address  you,  but  for  the  common  salvation  bestowed 
on  us  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  We,  as  a  body, 
formerly  suffered  much  privation,  as  to  our  religious  enjoy- 
ment, on  account  of  our  church  being  so  small ;  but, 
through  the  blessing  of  God,  and  the  instrumentality  of  our 
venerable  father,  Gwin,  we  have  got  a  comfortable  church 
erected  exclusively  for  our  benefit,  for  which  we  owe  many 
thanks  to  our  great  and  good  Master.  This,  however,  has 
not  been  done  without  considerable  difficulty.  Since  our 
church  was  erected,  our  society  has  increased  very  much. 
The  blessed  work  of  reformation  is  still  progressing.  Last 
Sabbath  was  our  quarterly  meeting,  at  which  time  fifteen 
of  our  fellow  citizens  professed  to  find  Jesus  precious, 
making,  in  all,  since  our  church  was  built,  sixty  in  number. 
Our  privileges  are  very  small ;  and,  although  our  great 
Master,  we  are  sure,  can  effect  great  things,  yet  we  are 
fearful  to  trust  our  afl"airs  in  the  hands  of  young  and  inex- 
perienced men :  not  that  we  doubt  the  veracity  or  piety  of 
such  preachers;  but  we  believe  that  experience,  as  well  as 
piety,  is  necessary  for  a  proper  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this 
station.  We  would,  therefore,  pray  you,  by  every  sacred 
feeling  of  our  hearts,  if  it  be  consistent,  in  your  estima- 
tion, with  the  interest  of  the  Church,  to  return  our  vener- 
able father,  Gwin,  to  us  again,  that  he  may  comfort  those 


192  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIII. 

who  mourn  in  Zion,  and  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of 
the  Lord." 

The  annexed  petition  from  Sandusky  City  will  show 
the  interest  sometimes  manifested  in  behalf  of  our  Church 
by  many  who  are  not  members  of  it.  In  accordance  with 
the  request  of  the  petitioners,  a  preacher,  the  Rev.  John 
Janes,  was  stationed  among  them,  who  returned  twenty- 
six  members  at  the  close  of  the  year.  The  petition  is 
dated  August  28,  1828,  and  signed  by  C.  F.  D.,  S.  P., 
and  D.  H.  T.: 

"  We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  have  been 
appointed,  at  a  regularly  organized  town  meeting,  as  a  com- 
mittee to  draft  and  circulate  a  subscription,  to  ascertain 
what  would  be  voluntarily  offered  for  the  support  of  a 
minister  of  your  order,  with  instructions,  if  we  were 
satisfied  that  the  encouragement  would  justify  it,  to  send 
to  you,  as  the  Superintendent  of  the  Ohio  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  who,  we  understand,  is  in 
possession  of  the  appointing  power,  a  request  for  a  preacher 
to  serve  us  during  the  current  year.  In  conformity  to  the 
powers  vested  in  us,  together  with  our  wish,  and,  as  we 
most  confidently  believe,  the  wish  of  our  fellow  citizens, 
who  have  united  to  make  this  our  duty,  we  forward  this  as 
our  memorial.  We  have  made  our  inquiries  to  such  an 
extent  as  enables  us  to  say,  without  hesitation,  that  should 
it  be  thought  an  object  worthy  your  attention,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  should  it  fall  within  tlie  limits  of  your  power,  to 
send  us  a  single  man  for  the  first  year,  one  who  is  pos- 
sessed of  full  ministerial  powers  and  sufficient  talent  to 
attract  attention,  we  could  give  him  such  support  as 
would,  we  doubt  not,  yield  entire  satisfaction.  Moreover, 
a  fine  and  ample  field  of  action  would  here  be  opened  for 
the  employment  of  his  time  and  talents.  Our  situation  is 
uncommonly  pleasant,  being  on  the  borders  of  and  in  full 
view  of  the  beautiful  Sandusky  Bay.    The  harbor  is  the 


CHAP.  VIII.]  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  193 

safest  and  most  accessible  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Erie.  Our  village  has  already  attained  a  considerable 
growth,  both  as  to  population  and  commercial  interests; 
and  we  have  encouraging  prospects  before  us.  This  place 
is  already  recognized  as  a  port  of  entry.  We  have  not,  as 
yet,  any  denomination  efficiendy  organized  in  our  village ; 
and,  of  course,  we  think  the  present  opportunity  highly 
favorable  for  the  establishment  of  Methodism.  Various 
means  have  been  resorted  to  by  individuals  to  supply  this 
place  with  religious  instructions;  but  all  have  hitherto 
seemed  to  be  unsuccessful.  The  circuit  preachers  have 
visited  us;  though,  as  we  apprehend,  to  litde  purpose. 
Ministers  of  other  denominations  have,  also,  occasionally 
preached  here ;  but  our  means  are  not  equal  to  the  high 
pecuniary  claims  of  some  of  them.  At  present  the  popular 
voice  seems  to  favor  Methodism.  There  has  been,  for 
some  years,  a  small  society  in  this  place,  wlio  have  labored 
under  much  depression,  arising  from  causes  needless  to 
enumerate.  In  order  to  encourage  this  litde  flock,  and 
open  a  door  for  their  enlargement,  we  have  deemed  it 
advisable  to  take  our  present  course  in  petitioning  you. 
Our  village  is  a  great  thoroughfare  for  travelers.  Men 
of  distinguished  rank,  from  various  parts  of  our  own  highly 
favored  country,  and  also  from  Europe,  often  pass  and 
re-pass  here  during  the  summer  season ;  and  not  unfre- 
quently  they  have  to  remain  over  the  Sabbath,  waiting  the 
arrival  of  a  steamboat.  By  such  we  have  again  and  again 
been  asked,  '  Have  you  no  place  of  worship,  nor  any 
religious  meeting  in  your  village,  which,  in  so  many 
respects,  is  highly  distinguished?'  We  are  under  the 
pain  of  answering,  '  No !'  Our  citizens  are  mosdy  east- 
em  emigrants.  Many  of  them  arc  enterprising  and  observ- 
ing men.  A  clergyman  of  easy  and  graceful  manners, 
united  with  ordinary  talents,  would,  no  doubt,  be  suc- 
cessful. Dogmatism  and  polemical  divinity  would,  as  we 
17 


194  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIU 

apprehend,  at  present  be  of  but  little  use  to  us.  "We  take 
the  liberty  to  make  these  remarks,  because  we  are  aware 
that  a  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient.  Your  wisdom  and 
experience  will  enable  you  to  determine  whether  you  can 
meet  our  case  or  not.  Please  inform  us  of  the  result  as 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  conference  as  is  practicable. 
We  would  add,  if  we  are  sick  we  have  no  one  to  invite 
to  console  us  in  the  capacity  of  a  clergyman ;  if  we  are 
called  upon  in  the  order  of  Divine  Providence  to  follow  a 
relative  or  neighbor  to  the  tomb,  we  have  to  close  the  grave 
without  religious  rites  ;  but  we  forbear.  Very  respectfully 
we  subscribe  ourselves  yours  in  behalf  of  our  fellow 
citizens." 

Petitions  from  individuals  or  letters  from  committees,  are 
liable  to  considerable  objections,  as  they  contain  tlie  views 
merely  of  individuals  or  of  minorities,  and  are  not,  there- 
fore, proper  indices  of  the  wants  or  wishes  of  tlie  body  of 
the  people.  Among  other  regulations,  our  English  brethren 
adopt  the  following  rules. 

No  preacher  shall  return  to  a  circuit  where  he  has  been 
stationed,  till  he  shall  have  been  absent  from  it  eight  years ; 
and  where  there  are  more  than  two  circuits  in  the  same  city 
or  town,  no  preacher  shall  be  so  stationed  in  them  as  to 
remain  in  such  city  or  town  for  a  period  exceeding  six  years 
in  succession. 

Quarterly  meetings  may  petition  for  preachers ;  and  such 
petitions  will  receive  all  due  respect.  But  no  private 
letters  concerning  stations  arc  considered  either  proper  or 
in  form.  Those  only  are  so  considered  which  come  from 
the  majorities  of  regular  quarterly  meetings.  Letters  from 
committees  or  individuals  are  not  attended  to,  and  conse- 
quently the  conference  is  seldom  troubled  with  them. 

Tlie  aged  preachers  are  provided  with  circuits  before  any 
others. 

Particular  care  is  taken  that  the  removals  be  as  limited  in 


CHAP.  Vni.3  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  195 

their  distance  as  possible,  in  order  to  save  time,  expense 
and  trouble. 

Married  preachers  are  stationed  in  proportion  to  the  num- 
ber of  Church  members  ;  that  proportion  being,  one  married 
preacher  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  members ;  two  where 
there  are  nine  hundred ;  and  three  where  there  are  thirteen 
hundred  and  fifty. 

The  appointment  of  their  editors,  book  agents,  missionary 
secretaries  and  tutors  in  their  theological  institute,  is  ordi- 
narily for  a  term  not  exceeding  six  years.  If,  in  the  course 
of  the  fifth  year,  the  committee  that  has  charge  of  these 
departments  recommend  the  re-appointment  of  any  of  them, 
a  special  committee  of  the  conference  considers  the  matter, 
and  if  that  committee  agree,  the  conference  may  re-appoint 
for  a  similar  term,  or  a  shorter  one,  as  they  deem  best. 

In  the  American  Church,  the  General  conference  appoints 
tlie  editors  and  book  agents,  and  the  missionary  secretaries  ; 
but  the  Bishops  appoint  all  others.  The  just  mentioned 
regulations  of  our  British  brethren  might  not  altogether  suit 
our  circumstances ;  still  they  may  be  wise  rules  for  their 
own  government. 

But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  does  the  General  conference 
lodge  the  power  of  stationing  the  preachers  in  the  episco- 
pacy ?  The  answer  is,  because  they  judged  it  the  very  best 
arrangement  that  could  be  made  to  sustain  an  efficient  itine- 
rant ministry,  the  object  of  which  is  to  carry  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  to  every  part  of  our  diversified  continent;  and  the 
result  has  fully  proved  the  superiority  of  the  plan. 

To  change,  receive  and  si^spenfZ  preachers,  forms  another 
of  the  duties  of  a  Bishop,  and  is  expressed  in  the  Discipline, 
on  the  29th  page,  in  the  following  words  :  "  In  the  intervals 
of  the  conferences,  to  change,  receive  and  suspend  preachers, 
as  necessity  may  require,  and  as  the  Discipline  directs." 

For  various  reasons,  it  may  be  necessary  to  change  from 
one  circuit  or  conference,  to  another  circuit  or  conference, 


196 


DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


[chap.  vm. 


in  order  to  supply  vacancies,  or  prevent  or  remove  difficulties 
which  can  be  remedied  by  no  other  means  than  a  change 
of  preachers. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  receive  local  preachers,  to  fill  up 
vacancies  occasioned  by  death,  affliction  or  other  unavoidable 
causes,  as  well  as  to  supply  the  growing  wants  of  the  Church 
where  more  laborers  are  required. 

In  consequence  of  accusation,  the  Bishop,  too,  may  find 
it  necessary  sometimes  to  sit  on  a  case  before  a  committee, 
when  a  preacher  is  suspended  from  all  official  duties  until 
the  sitting  of  the  next  conference.  There  have,  however, 
been  but  few  instances  in  which  this  has  been  done ;  and 
we  believe  it  ought  to  be  avoided  by  the  Bishops,  except 
where  it  is  indispensably  requisite ;  because  it  unneces- 
•sarily  involves  them  in  matters  which  ordinarily  do  not 
belong  to  their  office. 

Hence,  in  all  these  cases,  it  is  only  when  "  necessity  may 
require,"  that  the  Bishop  will  exercise  the  power  intrusted 
to  him.  But  when  he  mitst.  do  so,  he  must  also  proceed 
as  "  the  Discipline  directs."  That  is,  he  cannot  receive  a 
preacher  unless  he  be  regularly  licensed  or  ordained.  He 
cannot  suspend,  except  the  committee  who  sit  in  the  case, 
first  condemn.  And  all  this  is  limited  to  the  intervals  of 
conferences ;  for  to  the  conferences  particularly  the  discharge 
of  these  duties  belongs.  The  Bishop,  therefore,  can  exer- 
cise no  arbitrary  power  in  the  cases  we  have  mentioned. 
As  far  as  the  Discipline  directs,  he  must  be  guided  by  its 
instructions.  Where  it  fails  to  direct,  the  necessity  of  the 
case  or  the  reason  of  the  thing,  must  be  his  guide.  A 
wanton  or  foolish  decision  in  such  cases,  would  subject  the 
Bishop  to  scorn  ;  and  likewise  to  the  correction  of  the 
General  conference. 

To  travel  through  the  Church  at  large  is  another  duty 
of  the  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This 
is  explained  by  "  traveling  at  large  among  the  people,"  and 


CHAP.  VIII.3  DCTIES  OF  BISHOPS. 


19? 


by  the  language  of  the  restrictive  regulations  which  describes 
it  as  an  "  itinerant  general  superintendency."  The  General 
conference  has  left  to  the  Bishops  the  making  of  such  an 
apportionment  of  the  work  among  themselves  as  shall,  in 
their  judgment,  promote  the  general  good.  Some  of  the 
Bishops  and  preachers  have  been  in  favor  of  districting  the 
work  for  four  years,  each  Bishop  confining  his  labors  to  his 
particular  charge,  until  the  succeeding  General  conference. 
Others  are  for  sending  the  Bishops  two  by  two  on  episcopal 
divisions,  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  visit  the  people  in  a 
greater  number  of  places,  and  thus  become  more  particularly 
acquainted  with  both  people  and  preachers.  While  the 
majority  probably  wish  to  leave  the  whole  to  the  discretion 
of  the  Bishops  themselves.  It  is  certainly  impossible  now, 
or  will  be  after  next  General  conference,  for  each  Bishop  to 
visit  all  the  conferences  once  in  four  years ;  and  should  the 
present  plan  be  continued,  the  mere  presidency  in  confer- 
ences will  be  the  principal  work  of  Bishops,  except  long 
and  njipensive  journeys  on  the  public  thoroughfares  of  travel. 

It  is  made  the  duty  of  the  Bishops  "  to  oversee  the  spir- 
itual and  temporal  concerns  of  our  Church."  This  implies 
no  more  than  a  general  oversight  of  the  whole  economy  of 
the  Church,  so  as  to  ascertain  if  there  be  any  abuses,  and 
employ  their  influence  to  have  them  remedied  according  to 
Discipline.  They  have  no  control  over  the  property  or 
funds  of  the  Church,  nor  can  they  avail  themselves  of  the 
least  part  of  either.  They  are  allowed,  as  other  preachers, 
a  bare  gupport  for  themselves  and  tiieir  families,  when  they 
have  any ;  their  traveling  expenses  are  also  paid.  There 
is  no  room  here  for  the  exercise  of  arbitrary  power,  as 
every  thing  is  to  be  regulated  according  to  Discipline. 

The  Bishops  too  are  required  "  to  ordain  Bishops,  elders 
and  deacons."  But  they  have  no  power  of  themselves  to 
ordain  without  the  approval  of  the  presbyteries,  and  indeed 
the  consent  of  the  people.  They  cannot  ordain  a  Bishop 
17' 


198  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [CHAP,' VIII 

until  he  is  first  elected  as  such  by  the  General  conference. 
Neither  can  they  ordain  elders  or  deacons  until  they  are 
first  elected  to  these  offices  by  an  annual  conference.  The 
voice  of  the  Christian  believers,  moreover,  is  to  be  heard 
both  in  licensing  preachers,  and  in  recommending  them 
for  the  itinerancy,  and  likewise  in  recommending  local 
preachers  to  the  annual  conferences  as  fit  persons  to  be 
elected  elders  or  deacons.  They  may  exercise  their  power 
of  suspending  the  ordination  of  a  person  elected,  if  objec- 
tions are  made  to  him,  until  his  case  can  be  farther  examined 
into  and  fully  reviewed  and  decided  upon  by  the  proper 
tribunal.  This  is  deemed  a  necessary  guard,  in  order  to 
inquire  thoroughly  into  the  validity  of  the  reasons  for  the 
person's  election,  or  to  examine  some  point  which  had  pre- 
viously not  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  presbyterial 
electors. 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  Bishop  "  to  decide  all  questions  of  law 
in  an  annual  conference,  subject  to  the  General  conference; 
but  in  all  cases  the  application  of  law  shall  be  with  th?  con- 
ference." This  regulation  was  made  in  1840,  and  it  stands 
in  connection  with  questions  not  easily  decided.  We  think 
that  nothing  is  gained  by  dissensions  between  the  president 
of  a  conference  and  the  conference  itself,  concerning  the 
lawfulness  of  putting  certain  questions  to  vote.  To  record 
a  protest,  or  a  difl^erent  opinion,  and  then  proceed,  as  had 
invariably  been  the  practice  in  Methodist  conferences  up  to 
the  time  mentioned,  is  much  better  than  to  hem  up  a  con- 
ference by  the  veto  of  the  Bishop.  There  seems  to  us 
something  in  the  entangled  process  of  vetoing  which  but  ill 
accords  with  the  unanimity  and  good  feeling  that  have  almost 
always  existed,  and  do  now  exist  between  the  Bishops 
and  the  conferences.  We  wish  this  regulation  had  never 
had  a  place  in  our  Discipline.  We  should  be  glad  to  see 
it  annulled  by  the  next  General  conference.  In  this  we 
know  Bishop  Roberts  concurred. 


CHAP.  Vin.3  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  199 

The  regulation  of  the  circuits  and  stations,  and  the  dis- 
tricts, is  amongst  the  duties  of  the  Bishops.  He  fixes  on 
the  size  of  the  districts,  and  holds  a  negative  on  the 
divisions  of  circuits  and  stations.  Nevertheless,  there  is  no 
imperative  control  exercised  in  regulating  this  matter.  To 
prevent  uncalled  for  divisions  is  the  leading  design  here,  as 
the  wishes  of  the  people  are  by  this  arrangement  met, 
except  when  the  wishes  of  one  circuit  or  a  proposed  circuit 
infringe  on  the  acknowledged  privileges  of  others. 

4.  A  Bishop  is  amenable  to  the  General  conference,  who 
have  power  to  expel  him  for  improper  conduct  if  they  deem 
it  necessary.  The  Bishops  are  as  responsible  as  any  other 
preachers  in  the  Church.  They  are  entirely  subject  to  the 
General  conference.  In  the  interval  of  the  conference, 
"they  are  subject  to  be  tried  by  seven  elders  and  two 
deacons,  as  prescribed  above,  for  any  immorality,  or  sup- 
posed immorality  ;  and  may  be  suspended  by  two-thirds  of 
these,  not  only  from  all  public  offices,  but  even  from  being 
private  members  of  the  society,  till  the  ensuing  General 
conference.  This  mode  subjects  the  Bishops  to  a  trial 
before  a  court  of  judicature,  considerably  inferior  to  that  of 
a  yearly  conference."  (See  Discipline  with  notes,  of  1792, 
page  42.) 

At  the  General  conference,  the  character  and  administra- 
tion of  each  Bishop  undergo  a  strict  scrutiny ;  and  should 
any  mistake  have  been  committed,  or  any  mal-adminislration 
be  ascertained,  he  is  corrected. 

Besides,  in  case  of  suspension  by  the  nine  preachers 
who  sit  on  his  case,  lie  remains  in  his  suspended  condition 
until  the  coming  session  of  the  General  conference  ;  and  if 
this  body  should  expel  him  he  has  no  appeal,  as  ah-eady 
stated,  to  any  other  or  liigher  tribunal. 

5.  If  a  Bishop  cease  from  traveling  at  large  among  the 
people,  without  the  consent  of  the  General  conference,  ha 
shall  not  exercise  his  episcopal  office  thereafter  in  any 


200  DUTIES  OF  BISHOPS.  [cHAP.  VIII. 

degree.  And,  indeed,  the  General  conference  cannot  allow 
a  Bishop  to  exercise  episcopal  powers  except  he  itinerates, 
for  so  the  writer  thinks  the  third  restrictive  rule  is  to  be 
interpreted.  This  rule  says:  "The  General  conference 
shall  not  change  or  alter  any  part  or  rale  of  our  govern- 
ment, so  as  to  do  away  episcopacy,  or  destroy  the  plan 
of  our  itinerant  general  superintendency."  The  office  is 
an  episcopacy  or  general  superintendency,  and  the  manner 
of  exercising  its  duties,  or  filling  the  office,  is  by  itiner- 
ating;  therefore  no  Bishop  can  exist,  in  a  local  capacity, 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  episcopacy,  or 
general  superintendency,  is  not  to  be  rfone  away  with,  or 
destroyed,  by  changing  or  altering  any  part  or  rule  of  our 
government.  The  General  conference  must,  therefore, 
elect  a  sufficient  number  of  Bishops  to  do  their  appropriate 
work  of  traveling  at  large.  No  change  whatever  that 
obstructs  them  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty  can  be 
effected  constitutionally  by  the  General  conference.  Con- 
sequently, when  Bishops  are  unable  to  do  efllicient  service, 
they  ought  to  be  superannuated ;  and  when  superannuated 
they  have  no  more  power  as  Bishops  than  other  superan- 
nuated preachers.  We  insert  here  the  note  on  this  topic 
from  the  Discipline  with  notes  of  1792:  "The  Bishops 
are  obliged  to  travel  till  the  General  conference  pronounces 
them  worn  out  or  superannuated ;  for  that  certainly  is  the 
meaning  of  the  answer  to  the  sixth  question  of  this  section. 
What  a  restriction !  Wliere  is  the  like  in  any  other  epis- 
copal Church  ?  It  would  be  a  disgrace  to  our  episcopacy 
to  have  Bishops  settled  on  their  plantations  here  and  there, 
evidencing  to  all  the  world  that,  instead  of  breathing  the 
spirit  of  their  office,  they  could  without  remorse  lay  down 
their  crown  and  bury  the  most  important  talents  God  has 
given  to  man !  We  would  rather  choose  that  our  episco- 
pacy should  be  blotted  out  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  than 
be  spotted  with  such  disgraceful  conduct !    All  the  episco- 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


201 


pal  Churches  in  the  world  are  conscious  of  the  dignity  of 
the  episcopal  office.  The  greatest  part  of  them  endeavor 
to  preserve  this  dignity  by  large  salaries,  splendid  dresses, 
and  other  appendages  of  pomp  and  splendor.  But  if  an 
episcopacy  has  neither  the  dignity  which  arises  from  these 
worldly  trappings,  nor  that  infinitely  superior  dignity  which 
is  the  attendant  of  labor,  of  suflering  and  enduring  hard- 
ship for  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  of  a  venerable  old  age,  the 
concluding  scene  of  a  life  devoted  to  the  service  of  God,  it 
instantly  becomes  the  disgrace  of  a  Church  and  the  just 
ridicule  of  the  world!" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  GENCIXE  EPISCOPACY. 

The  suceessionists  of  various  sects,  whether  Romish, 
Anglican,  or  American,  take  upon  them  to  denounce  as 
invalid  the  Methodist  ministry,  in  common  with  all  min- 
isters of  pastoral  or  presbyterial  ordination,  such  as  Pres- 
byterians, Baptists  and  Congregationalists.  These  de- 
nouncers and  anathematizers  connect  ordination  particularly 
with  Methodist  episcopacy.  Yet,  with  Methodists  them- 
selves, the  relation  of  ordination  to  their  Bishops  is  a  mere 
accident ;  inasmuch  as  they  consider  that  ordination  to  the 
ministry  belongs  to  the  whole  Church,  particularly  to  the 
believers  or  pious,  and  to  the  ordinary  pastors  who  feed  the 
flocks.  Still,  as  the  subject  of  ordination  is  connected,  if 
not  in  essence,  yet  in  other  respects,  with  Methodist  Bish- 
ops, it  may  not  be  amiss,  in  writing  the  life  of  one  of  our 
Bishops,  to  give  some  reasons  for  our  conduct  in  rejecting 
the  modes  of  ordination  adopted  by  suceessionists,  whether 
of  Rome,  of  England,  or  their  imitators  in  America.  To 
our  own  mind,  there  are  abundant  reasons  for  our  rejecting 


202  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

the  unscriptural  modes  of  inducting  into  the  ministry  prac- 
ticed by  our  denouncers;  and  we  unhesitatingly  affirm  that 
the  Scriptural  grounds  on  which  we  base  our  ordination  to 
tlie  ministry  are  numerous  and  strong.  In  presenting,  in  a 
very  brief  manner,  this  topic,  we  shall  furnish  some  pre- 
liminary remarks  on  the  general  subject,  examine  the 
claims  of  the  high  pretensions  of  our  opponents,  and  then 
give  some  reasons  for  our  own  conduct. 

I.  We  will  first  make  some  remarks  on  succession  in 
general : 

1.  Mere  local  or  personal  succession  cannot  be  the  true 
mark  of  the  apostolic  Church. 

We  would  ask,  whom  did  Christ  succeed  ?  And,  also, 
whom  did  the  apostles  succeed  ?  In  a  certain  sense,  indeed, 
Christ  succeeded  Melchisedec,  though  there  was  no  formal 
succession  of  persons  or  places  connecting  them.  The 
apostles  were  the  true  successors  of  Aaron  and  the  prophets, 
because  they  preserved  the  true  doctrines  and  faith,  and 
were  personally  righteous.  The  Jews  boasted  of  locally 
and  personally  succeeding  Moses,  although  they  corrupted 
his  doctrines  by  their  traditions,  and  were  unlike  him  in 
their  practices. 

The  Scriptures  assure  us  that  there  may  be  a  succession 
of  persons  and  places,  where  there  does  not  exist  the  true 
succession  of  the  apostles.  There  are  many  apostolic  pre- 
dictions which  assert  tiiis.  Paul  addresses  the  presbyters 
or  bishops  of  Ephesus  thus:  "For  I  know  this,  that  after 
my  departure  sliall  grievous  wolves  enter  in  among  you, 
not  sparing  the  flock.  Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men 
arise,  speaking  perverse  things,  to  draw  away  disciples 
after  them,"  Acts  xx,  29,  30.  And  Paul  says  to  Timo- 
thy, *'  In  the  last  times  some  shall  depart  from  the  faith, 
giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits  and  doctrines  of  devils; 
speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy,  having  their  conscience  seared 
with  a  hot  iron ;  forbidding  to  marry,  and  commanding  to 


CHAP.  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  ^203 

abstain  from  meats,"  1  Timothy  iv,  1-3.  Anti-Christ  is 
predicted  as  "  sitting  in  the  temple  of  God,"  2  Thessalo- 
nians  ii,  4.  So  also  Peter:  "  There  were  also  false  proph- 
ets among  the  people,  as  there  will  be  false  teachers  among 
you,"  2  Peter  ii,  1. 

Ecclesiastical  history  abounds  with  examples,  confirming 
these  statements.  In  the  Church  of  Antioch,  Paul  of  Sa- 
mosta,  the  heresiarch,  succeeded  orthodox  bishops.  Peter 
Gnaphoeus,  the  Eutychean,  Macarius,  the  Monothelite,  and 
other  heretics,  filled  the  same  see.  Georgius  and  Lucius, 
Arians,  Dioscorus,  an  Eutychean,  and  Cynis,  a  Monothe- 
lite, were  bishops  of  the  Church  of  Alexandria,  which  was 
planted  by  the  apostles.  In  the  Church  of  Constantinople, 
Macedonius,  Nestorius  and  Eutyches,  were  bishops. 

The  most  ancient  fathers  place  no  stress  on  a  mere  local 
succession,  apart  from  the  true  succession  of  pure  doctrines, 
and  correct  moral  principles  and  conduct.  Tertullian,  Euse- 
bius,  Jerome,  Augustine  and  Ambrose,  affirm  that  the  doc- 
trines, morals  and  practices  of  the  aposdes  are  principally  to 
be  insisted  on,  and  not  a  personal  or  local  succession  merely. 

2.  The  true  succession  is  designated  by  the  truth  or 
sound  doctrine. 

By  false  doctrines,  anti-Christ  is  to  be  discovered.  St. 
John,  in  his  second  episde,  is  very  express  on  this  subject. 
"  For  many  deceivers  are  entered  into  the  world,  who  con- 
fess not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh.  This  is  a 
deceiver,  and  an  anti-Christ.  Look  to  yourselves,  'that  we 
lose  not  those  things  Avhich  we  have  wrought,  but  that 
we  receive  a  full  reward.  Whosoever  transgresseth,  and 
abideth  not  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  hath  not  God.  He 
that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he  hath  both  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  If  there  come  any  among  you,  and 
bring  not  this  doctrine,  receive  him  not  into  your  house, 
neither  bid  him  Godspeed:  for  he  that  biddeth  him  God 
speed,  is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds,"  2  John,  7-11.  Mul- 


204  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

titudes  of  Scriptural  passages  could  be  quoted  to  show  that 
truth  of  doctrine  is  inseparable  from  the  true  succession. 
Hence,  if  the  ministers  of  a  Church,  instead  of  truth,  teach 
error ;  if,  instead  of  declaring  and  pressing  the  laws  of  God, 
they  inculcate  precepts  prejudicial  to  and  destructive  of 
those  laws,  how  can  they  be  the  successors  of  the  apostles 
and  the  primitive  Christians? 

3.  The  inculcation  of  sound  moral  principles,  and  the 
enforcement  of  upright  moral  conduct  among  her  members, 
is  an  indispensable  mark  of  the  true  Church.  A  wicked 
people  cannot  be  God's  people.  The  true  Church,  there- 
fore, admits  none  within  her  pale  but  those  who,  in  the 
judgment  of  charity,  possess  or  are  seeking  the  power  of 
godliness.  And  so  soon  as  wicked  persons  are  there  found 
to  exist,  she  will  separate  them  from  her  communion  unless 
they  refuse  to  be  reformed.  It,  therefore,  follows  that  the 
Church  which  receives  wicked  persons  into  her  membership 
or  ministry,  or  permits  them  to  remain  in  either,  cannot  be 
the  true  Church,  if  indeed  such  a  heterogeneous  assemblage 
can  be  regarded  as  a  Church  at  all.  To  sustain  this  position 
many  passages  of  Holy  Writ  might  be  produced. 

4.  The  true  mode  and  spirit  of  worship  is  another  mark 
of  tlie  apostolic  Church.  Surely  the  pure  Church  cannot 
foster  idolatry  within  her  pale.  She  can  have  only  one 
God,  and  one  Mediator.  The  First  and  Second  Command- 
ments enjoin  this  true  worship ;  and,  moreover,  idolatrous 
worship  is  everywhere  in  Scripture  denounced  in  the 
strongest  terms. 

5.  There  are  certain  classes  of  men  ineligible  to  the 
ministry,  in  consequence  of  their  disability  to  fill  the  offices, 
and  therefore  their  appointment  is  null  and  void. 

(I.)  The  tvicked  are  ineligible  to  the  ministry.  Of  this 
many  passages  of  Scripture  testify,  and  it  is  needless  to 
quote  them  here. 

No  Church  is  at  liberty,  knowingly,  to  authorize  a  wicked 


CHAP.  IX.] 


GENTJINE  EPISCOPACY. 


205 


person  to  preach  ihe  Gospel.  Such  a  one,  though  ordained 
by  man,  is  still  as  unauthorized  as  he  was  before  his  ordi- 
nation ;  and  no  people  under  heaven  ought  to  receive  him 
as  an  embassador  of  Christ,  even  though  all  the  ecclesiastical 
bodies  on  the  face  of  the  earth  should  have  endowed  him 
with  all  the  power  they  possess :  for  the  simple  reason  that 
those  bodies  have  no  power  to  choose  improper  persons  for 
the  ministry.  Such  persons  thus  chosen  are  no  more 
eligible  to  the  ministry  than  a  foreigner  or  minor  is  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States.  Not  but  that  the  hypo- 
critical may  occasionally  "creep  unawares"  into  the 
ministerial  office  ;  but  then  a  vigilant  and  pious  people  and 
ministry  can  either  prevent  such  persons  from  entering  the 
sacred  work,  or  detect  and  expel  them  when  entered,  so 
that  the  Church  will  receive  little  or  no  damage  from  that 
source. 

(2.)  Heretics  cannot  ordain  or  be  ordained  to  the  Chris- 
tian ministry,  or  be  continued  in  the  exercise  of  it.  The 
Scriptures  "reject  all  heretics,"  2  Peter  ii,  1,  especially 
those  that  deny  the  Lord  that  bought  them.  The  Church 
can  give  heretics  no  authority  to  preach  or  administer  sacra- 
ments or  the  ordinances  of  the  Church.  During  the  fourth 
century,  the  greater  part  of  the  Bishops  or  prelates  became 
Arians,  denying  the  true  Godhead  of  Christ,  and  tlie  per- 
sonality and  divinity  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Nevertheless, 
the  ordinations  of  these  Arians  were  generally  received. 
And  it  is  probable  that  nearly  all  the  prelatical  ordinations 
in  the  world  came  from  Arians.  Yet  Arians  have  no  com- 
mission from  Christ,  and  can  give  none.  All  they  do  is 
null  and  void  from  the  beginning,  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses. The  same  remarks  will  apply  to  heretics  of  various 
other  grades  besides  the  Arians. 

(3.)  He  that  is  a  Simonist,  cannot  be  a  minister  of 
Christ.  Simony  has  been  always  condemned  as  a  sin  of 
the  greatest  magnitude,  both  by  general  and  provincial 
18 


306  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAF.  IX. 

councils ;  and  it  seems  generally  conceded,  that  Simonists 
cannot  be  ordained  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  nor  can  they 
ordain  others. 

To  the  foregoing  views  it  is  objected,  first,  "  That  though 
one  Bishop  M'ho  ordains  may  be  a  Simonist,  a  heretic,  or  a 
vicious  person,  yet  the  others  concerned  in  the  ordination, 
may  not  be  such."  To  this  we  answer,  tliat  in  the  ordina- 
tion of  a  Bisliop,  there  is  always  one  Bishop  who  alone 
consecrates.  This  is  the  universal  language  of  the  rituals. 
The  other  Bishops  who  may  be  present,  or  who  take  part 
in  the  ceremony,  are  rather  there  as  witnesses  than  as  con- 
secrators.  The  consecration  of  Bishops,  therefore,  always 
depends  upon  tlie  capabihty  of  the  one  Bishop  who  con- 
secrates, and  whenever  he  is  found  incompetent,  the  general 
rule  is  that  his  ordinations  are  invalid. 

It  is  also  objected,  secondly,  "  That  Judas  continued  to 
possess  full  episcopal  authorit)^  notwithstanding  his  being  a 
thief,  a  devil  and  a  traitor ;  and  that  therefore  a  Bishop 
retains  full  episcopal  authority,  however  wicked  he  may 
be."  To  this  plea,  which  is  notliing  less  than  a  plea  for 
sin  and  unrighteousness,  we  reply,  1.  There  is  no  proof 
that  Judas  was  a  wicked  man  when  he  was  first  put  into 
his  office,  but  the  contrary.  2.  The  office  of  apostle  before 
our  Lord's  resurrection  was  a  very  limited  one.  The 
apostles  then  performed  no  ordinations,  and  exercised  no 
superintendence  over  any  person.  When  their  commission 
was  more  fully  given,  they  were  to  wait  at  Jerusalem  until 
they  should  be  endowed  with  power  from  on  liigh.  This 
was  bestowed  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  3.  Tlicre  is  no 
proof  that  Judas  performed  a  single  act  as  an  apostle,  after 
he  had  become  a  devil,  a  thief  and  a  traitor.  It  was  only 
six  days  before  the  Passover,  on  which  Christ  suffered,  that 
he  was  first  charged  with  these  crimes.  It  was  after  this 
that  the  devil  is  said  to  have  entered  Judas.  His  treason  fol- 
lowed.   There  is  no  proof  that  he  was  continued  a  single 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  207 

day  in  his  apostleship  after  iiis  criminal  conduct.  4.  It  is 
declared  that  "  Judas  by  transgression  fell  from  his  apostle- 
ship," Acts  i,  25.  "And  none  of  them  is  lost,  but  the  son 
of  perdition,"  John  xvii,  12.  He,  therefore,  fell  from  his 
apostleship  by  sin  before  he  hanged  himself. 

The  conclusion  is,  that  no  Bishop  or  other  preacher  has 
any  ministerial  authority  after  he  becomes  a  wicked  man, 
but,  as  a  man  of  this  character,  he  falls  from  his  office  by 
transgression.  Hence,  all  wicked  men  cease  to  have  minis- 
terial authority  when  they  become  wicked. 

(4.)  Bad  men  must,  therefore,  be  rejected  from  the 
ministry  of  Christ,  and  their  people  are  bound  to  forsake 
them.  The  New  Testament  requires  us  to  forsake  all  who 
pretend  to  be  ministers,  but  who  are  plainly  unholy  or 
vicious,  and  who  teach  false  doctrines.  So  our  Lord  de- 
clares, "  Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in 
sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves. 
Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits,"  <fec.,  Matthew  vii, 
15-20.  TertuUian  says,  De  Proescrip,  c.  4,  "  Who  are 
false  prophets,  but  false  preachers  ?  Who  are  false  apostles, 
except  those  who  preach  an  adulterated  Gospel?"  Christ 
says  of  his  sheep,  "  A  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but 
will  flee  from  him  ;  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  a 
stranger,"  John  x,  5.  This  establishes  the  right  and  duty 
of  forsaking  wicked  and  heretical  teachers.  Paul  exhorts 
Timothy  to  withdraw  himself  from  false  teachers,  1  Timo- 
thy vi,  3-5.  To  the  Thessalonians  he  says,  "  Now  we 
command  you,  brethren,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  ye  withdraw  yourselves  from  every  brother  that 
walketh  disorderly,  and  not  after  the  tradition  which  he 
received  from  us,"  2  Thessalonians  iii,  6.  Again,  "Now 
T  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them  which  cause  divisions 
and  offenses  contrary  to  the  doctrines  which  ye  have  learned, 
and  avoid  them,"  Romans  xvi,  17.  True  Christians  are 
taught  to  separate  from  a  corrupt  Church  that  refuses  to  be 


208  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

reformed.  "  Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not 
partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye  receive  not  of  her 
plagues,"  Revelation  xviii,  4. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  plain  Scriptural  canon  to  withdraw  from 
the  pastoral  supervision  of  wicked,  heretical,  or  Simoniacal 
clei'gynien,  as  well  as  from  wicked  laymen. 

6.  The  true  minister  of  Christ  must  possess  proper  moral, 
Cliristian,  and  ministerial  qualifications.  Without  these  he 
is  ineligible  to  the  minister's  office. 

(1.)  A  minister  of  Christ  must  be  holy  in  his  life.  The 
citations  given  on  a  future  page  prove  this. 

(2.)  He  must  have  the  call  of  God.  The  following, 
among  other  passages  of  Scripture,  makes  it  clear  that  a 
divine  call  is  requisite :  "Pray  ye,  therefore,  the  Lord  of 
the  harvest,  that  he  will  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest," 
Matthew  ix,  38. 

The  Cliurch  or  its  officers  do  not  endow  persons  with 
authority  to  preach  the  word  of  God.  This  is  the  preroga- 
tive of  the  Head  of  the  Cliurch.  The  Spirit  calls,  qualifies 
the  persons  called,  and  blesses  their  labors.  The  Church 
can  only  discern  and  recognize  the  persons  thus  called  and 
qualified.  Ecclesiastical  persons  might  as  well  undertake 
to  bless  the  labors  of  ministers,  or  bless  the  people  with 
grace,  as  to  authorize  those  persons  to  be  ministers  whom 
God  has  not  called  by  his  Spirit,  and  qualified  by  his  gifts 
and  graces.  They  can  discern,  if  they  will  properly  ob- 
serve the  Scriptural  marks,  those  whom  God  calls.  This 
far  they  can  go,  but  no  farther. 

Although  the  sanction  of  any  Church  may  not  be  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  autiiorize  those  whom  God  has  truly 
called  and  sent;  yet  the  recognition  of  some  Church  is 
necessary  to  prevent  those  whom  God  never  called  from 
entering  into  the  ministry — not  so  much  to  approve  of  those 
whom  God  has  called,  as  to  debar  those  whom  he  has  not 
called.    Tiie  Church  discerns  and  recognizes;  and  while 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


209 


she  does  not  authorize  properly  qualified  persons,  she  yet 
prevents  wolves  from  entering  into  the  ministry  of  Christ. 
No  Church  can  authorize  a  wicked  man  or  a  heretic  to 
preach  the  Gospel. 

(3.)  Soundness  of  doctrine  is  a  necessary  qualification 
for  the  Gospel  ministry.  St.  Paul  declai-es,  "  But  though 
we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  any  other  Gospel  unto 
you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto  you,  let  him 
be  accursed.  As  we  said  before,  so  say  I  now  again,  If 
any  man  preach  any  other  Gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye 
have  received,  let  him  be  accursed,"  Galatians  i,  8,  9.  The 
epistles  abound  with  passages  warning  against  teachers  of 
false  doctrines. 

Paul,  in  his  epistles  to  Timothy  and  Titus,  lays  down 
the  proper  Christian  and  ministerial  qualifications  which 
must  be  possessed  by  all  true  ministers.  See  I  Timothy 
iii,  1-7;  Titus  i,  5-9.  In  examining  these  passages,  it 
will  be  found  that  twenty-five  qualifications  are  specified  as 
belonging  to  a  Bishop  or  pastor  of  a  flock.  The  ministers, 
Timothy  and  Titus,  and  through  them  the  ministers  of  all 
ages,  are  told  what  qualifications  to  look  for  in  candidates 
for  the  sacred  office.  Freedom  from  vice,  a  good  Christian 
character,  and  ministerial  gifts,  are  the  proper  qualifications 
for  the  ministry.  The  following  general  rules  comprise  the 
several  qualities  contained  in  the  epistles  to  Timothy  and 
Titus,  as  referred  to  above. 

Bule  1 .  w2  minister  must  be  free  from  scandalous  sins  ; 
or,  in  other  words,  he  must  not  be  a  ivicked  man.  He  must 
be  free  from  the  following  ten  sins,  and  all  others  of  a 
similar  nature.  He  must  be  blameless,  not  given  to  wine, 
no  striker,  not  attached  to  sordid  gain,  no  braivler  or 
contentious  person,  not  covetous,  not  accused  of  luxury  or 
riot,  not  unruly,  not  self-willed,  not  soon  angry. 

Rule  2.  The  candidate  for  the  ministry  must  possess, 
in  a  good  degree,  the  Christian  graces  and  virtues.  He 


210  OENriNE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

must,  if  married,  be  the  husband  of  one  wife,  of  good  be- 
havior, a  lover  of  hospitality,  patient,  one  that  ruleth  well 
his  own  house,  one  that  hath  a  good  report  of  those  with- 
out, a  lover  of  good  men,  just,  holy,  temperate. 

Rule  3.  He  must  possess  miyiisterial  gifts.  He  must 
be  sound  in  doctrine,  be  apt  to  teach,  and  qualified  to 
govern  the  Church. 

No  man,  therefore,  is  eligible  to  the  minister's  office  who 
is  immo7-al,  irreligious,  or  unqualified  to  teach.  And, 
hence,  the  laity  have  no  authority  to  approve,  recommend, 
or  receive  persons  thus  incompetent;  the  body  of  elders 
have  no  right  to  elect  such;  and  persons  invested  with 
powers  of  ordaining  have  no  permission  to  ordain  them. 
Hence,  also,  the  ordination  of  unqualified  or  ineligible  per- 
sons is  null  and  void,  and  of  no  authority  or  validity  in  the 
Church  of  God. 

Inference  1.  The  ordinations  of  wicked,  irreligious  or 
ignorant  men,  that  for  ages  have  been  and  still  are  taking 
place  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  are  invalid. 

Inference  2.  If  pastors  lose  their  necessary  ministerial 
qualifications,  and  become  vicious,  or  neglect  to  exercise 
their  ministry,  they  forfeit  their  authority  as  such,  and 
the  Church  is  bound  formally  to  depose  them.  Hence, 
we  perceive  the  great  error  and  sin  of  those  who  permit 
vicious  or  unqualitied  pastors  to  retain  their  offices,  when, 
according  to  Scripture,  they  ought  to  be  deposed.  Churches 
that  do  not  expel  the  vicious,  prove  themselves  to  be  cor- 
rupt to  a  very  high  degree. 

The  qualifications  mentioned  above  are  indispensable  to 
the  Christian  ministry.  Accordingly  it  is  said,  Ati  utiaxortov, 
a  bishop  must  be  blameless;  or,  in  other  words,  it  is  ne- 
cessary or  indispensable  that  «  bishop  shoidd  be  blame- 
less. He  MUST  be  a  good  man — must  be  sound  in  the 
faith,  be  instructed  in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  also 
be  apt  to  teach  them.    These  qualifications  are  so  neces- 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENXaNE  EPISCOPACY. 


211 


sary,  that  no  human  power  can  dispense  with  them  in  the 
ministers  of  the  Gospel ;  and  when  persons  of  a  different 
character  are  appointed,  their  ordination  is  null.  None  are 
allowed  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  to  send  the  wicked  to 
preach  righteousness,  the  profane  to  deliver  precepts  on 
piety,  the  drunken  to  give  lessons  on  temperance,  or  the 
impure  to  inculcate  holiness.  Such  a  mode  of  procedure 
would  be  unwise ;  and  the  accomplisliment  of  such  an  end 
would  be  impossible;  for  precisely  the  contrary  effect 
would  be  produced.  Neither  can  men  inexperienced  and 
unpracticed  in  the  religion  of  Christ,  be  employed  in  de- 
livering lessons  on  experimental  religion,  or  growth  in 
grace,  or  the  Christian  virtues  of  meekness,  sobriety,  &c. 
Nor  can  all  the  skill  of  man  make  a  teacher  of  him  who  has 
not  first  learned,  and  who  has  no  natural  aptitude  for  teach- 
ing. Here,  then,  is  a  powerful  barrier  against  the  appoint- 
ment to  the  ministry  of  the  wicked  and  inexperienced  in 
reUgion,  or  those  who  are  not  qualified  instructors.  Ap- 
pointments made  in  opposition  to  these  great  Scriptural 
canons  are  null  and  void.  In  such  cases  God  has  given  no 
permission  or  authority  to  ordain ;  nay,  he  has  expressly 
forbidden  the  ordination  of  those  just  mentioned.  It  is, 
therefore,  profane  and  sacrilegious  in  the  people  to  approve 
or  receive  bad  or  unqualified  ministers.  True  ministers 
ought  not  to  elect  them ;  and  ordainers  are  met  with  the 
prohibition  of  God  against  ordaining  them.  The  plain 
result  is,  that  in  all  cases  where  ineligible  persons  are  put 
into  the  office  of  the  ministry,  their  ordinations  are  null  and 
void. 

7.  Ordination  is  the  constituting  or  appointing  of  min- 
isters to  their  office.  Many  confound  imposition  of  hands 
with  ordination,  though  the  terms  are  of  very  different 
acceptation.  Imposition  of  hands  is  one  of  the  ceremonies 
used  in  ordination,  and  stands  in  the  same  relation  thereto 
as  reaching  the  Bible  to  the  candidate,  or  any  usage  of  that 


213  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

nature.  It  is  altogether  inferior  to  the  proper  examination 
of  the  candidate's  attainments,  fasting  and  prayer. 

By  ordination  and  to  ordain  is  commonly  understood, 
imposition  of  hands,  although  the  words  themselves  mean 
no  such  thing,  in  their  radical  import  or  their  applied  sense. 
To  point  out,  make,  elect,  choose,  appoint,  constitute,  and 
so  on,  is  the  general  idea  held  out  by  the  words  employed 
to  designate  ordination.  There  are  as  many  as  eight  Greek 
verbs,  which  are  rendered  as  above,  and  not  one  of  them 
conveys  the  idea  of  imposition  of  hands.  This,  it  is  be- 
lieved, the  wi'iter  has  proved  in  an  essay  on  ordination  in 
the  Methodist  Magazine  for  1839,  pp.  1-8. 

The  following  is  the  state  of  the  question  in  reference  to 
the  imposition  of  hands  in  ordaining  to  the  Gospel  min- 
istry: 1.  In  the  appointment  of  apostles,  imposition  of 
hands  was  not  used.  2.  Neither  was  it  used,  as  far  as  we 
know,  with  clear  certainty,  in  appointing  evangelists.  3. 
Nor  was  it  in  use  in  ordaining  bishops,  elders,  or  pastors. 
4.  It  was  used  in  appointing  deacons  or  servants  of  the 
Church,  but  these  were  only  ministers  of  tables. 

There  is  certainly  no  preceptive  obligation  to  practice 
this  ceremony  in  appointing  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  There 
is  also  the  absence  of  all  clear  apostolic  example.  Conse- 
quently, tliere  may  be  Scriptural  ordination  to  the  ministry 
where  no  imposition  of  hands  is  practiced.  It  is  merely 
of  ecclesiastical  use,  and  may  be  adopted  or  not,  without 
invalidating  or  rendering  valid  ordination  to  the  ministry. 

8.  As  to  the  ceremonials  and  form  of  ordination,  as  col- 
lected from  the  New  Testament,  the  following  very  brief 
outlines  will  present  the  most  important. 

(1.)  The  person  who  is  a  candidate  for  the  ministry  of 
the  word,  must  be  called  of  God,  or  be  a  person  eligible 
to  this  office.  He  must  be  eligible  before  he  can  be  ap- 
pointed ;  and  he  must  be  called  of  God  before  he  can  be 
eligible.    And  those  called  are  uch  as  are    uly  qualifiea 


CHAP.  IX,]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY, 


213 


with  the  endowments,  of  which  mention  has  been  already 
made. 

(2.)  Ji  course  of  trial  or  probation  is  necessary  to  be 
observed  in  ordination.  When  it  is  seen  that  the  person 
lives  blamelessly,  acts  piously,  is  qualified  to  instruct 
others,  and  possesses  those  marks  of  a  divine  call  already 
brought  to  view ;  and  when  all  these  shall  have  been 
observed  for  such  a  length  of  time  and  under  such  circum- 
stances as  prove  satisfactorily  that  the  candidate  is  a  proper 
person  to  be  inducted  into  the  ministry,  then  he  may  be  for- 
mally intrusted  with  the  office. 

(3.)  Tlie  approbation,  election,  or  recommendation  of 
regular  Church  members  associated  with  the  candidate  is 
an  important  part  of  a  Scripturcd  ordination  to  the  min- 
istry. In  the  case  of  Matthias,  the  disciples  chose  or  ap- 
pointed two,  and  presented  them  as  fit  persons,  either  of 
whom  they  considered  as  qualified.  The  multitude  of  the 
disciples,  even  in  the  case  of  the  deacons,  chose  seven  and 
set  them  before  the  apostles  for  their  approval.  Ananias 
and  the  disciples  at  Damascus  were  the  instruments  chosen 
to  guide  Paul  in  his  first  ministrations.  Besides,  this  is 
confined  to  Christians,  and  to  them  alone.  The  choice  is 
not  to  be  arbitrary,  but  according  to  the  Scripture. 

(4.)  The  election,  choice,  appointment,  or  approval  of 
the  ministers  connected  rvith  the  candidate,  is  a  Scriptural 
clement  of  ordination  to  the  ministry.  The  eleven  apos- 
tles were  concerned  in  the  appointment  of  Matthias.  Bar- 
nabas first,  and  then  tiie  other  apostles,  received  St.  Paul, 
and  gave  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  when  they 
were  assured  that  he  was  truly  called  to  the  ministry. 
Even  when  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  appointed  to  a  certain 
work,  the  prophets  and  teachers,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  separated  them  to  the  work  to  whir li  they  had 
been  called  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Paul  and  Barnabas  or- 
dained elders  in  every  city  throughoiit  a  portion  of  Asia. 


214 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 


But  they  had  no  right  to  put  improper  persons  in  the  minis- 
try. The  choice  of  God  must  precede  the  selection  or 
recognition  of  man. 

(5.)  The  ceremonies  or  rites  to  be  used  in  ordination, 
embrace,  1.  Naming,  numbering,  or  putting  in  the  list 
of  ministers.  Those  whom  Christ  chose  as  teachers  he 
selected  from  the  disciples  or  those  that  had  already  received 
instruction  from  him,  and  called  or  named  them  apostles 
or  missionaries.  He  then  numbered  or  enrolled  them  till 
he  had  twelve.  Hence,  it  is  said  of  Judas,  that  he  had 
been  numbered  with  the  apostles.  Acts  i,  17;  and  of  Mat- 
thias, that  "he  was  numbered  with  the  eleven  apostles," 
Acts  i,  26.  2.  The  lot  was  appealed  to  in  the  case  of 
Matthias.  3.  Fasting  was  mostly  associated  with  ordina- 
tion. 4.  Prayer  was  of  general  use  in  selecting  ministers. 
5.  Imposition  of  hands  is  not  enjoined  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, nor  of  clear  Scriptural  usage,  and  may  therefore  be 
omitted  or  used,  as  reaching  the  Bible,  or  any  similar 
practice. 

(6.)  The  ordainers  or  consecrators.  This  has  been  the 
great  stumbling-block  of  those  who  have  made  ordination 
to  consist  principally  in  forms ;  and  who  have  thus  employed 
all  their  ingenuity  to  induct  the  vicious  or  incompetent  into 
the  ministry,  or  to  retain  them  in  it  after  they  liad  entered. 
The  ordainers,  according  to  Scripture,  are,  1.  True  Christian 
people  electing,  approving,  testifying  or  recommending 
candidates.  These  are  the  first  actors  in  ordination.  2. 
The  elders  or  pastors,  electing  or  choosing  proper  persons, 
take  a  part  in  ordination.  3.  Those  delegated  by  the 
Church  as  formal  ordainers  are  actors  in  ordination.  These 
are  presbyters  or  bishops  chosen  by  the  body  of  presbyters 
to  separate  formally  those  whom  the  laity  recommend,  and 
whom  the  presbyters  elect.  Hence,  ordination  to  the 
Christian  ministry  is  the  joint  work  of  the  people,  pastors 
and  superintendents  of  the  Church,  in  which  a  person 


CHAP.  IX.]  OENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  215 

duly  qualified  is  separated  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in 
some  Scriptural  form,  accompanied  with  prayer. 

Some  kind  of  form  should  be  used,  because,  in  nearly  all 
the  cases  mentioned  in  Scripture  with  any  circumstantiality, 
a  formal  process  is  observed,  though  obviously  simple. 
Our  Lord  appointed  his  apostles  by  naming  and  numbering 
or  enrolling  them.  Matthias  was  chosen  by  lot,  and  then 
numbered  or  enrolled.  Prayer  was  always  used.  In  the 
case  of  Paul  no  special  form  was  used,  except  that  he  was 
acknowledged  by  the  other  aposdes  and  the  Churches,  with 
tJie  common  greetings  which  are  due  to  all  Christians  and 
ministers,  apart  from  all  ordinations  or  induction  into  office. 
Some  forms  were  generally  used ;  yet  the  forms  did  vary 
from  each  other  in  those  cases  recorded  in  Scripture. 

Ordination,  in  the  foregoing  definition,  is  said  to  be  the 
joint  tvork  of  the  people,  pastors  and  special  officers  of  the 
Church.  If  the  will  or  judgment  of  the  people  is  over- 
looked, there  is  a  great  irregularity  in  the  ordination, 
though  we  would  not  say  the  ordination  is  invalid  in  such 
a  case,  provided  the  candidate  is  duly  qualified.  When 
special  officers,  as  Bishops  or  selected  elders,  are  not  chosen 
to  ordain,  there  is  a  great  want  of  formality  and  regularity ; 
yet  we  would  not  maintain  that  the  ordination  of  a  proper 
person  chosen  by  the  people  or  elders  is  therefore  invalid. 
If  the  body  of  elders  connected  with  the  candidate  do  not 
act  in  the  case,  then  there  is  at  least  a  serious  irregularity, 
which  approaches  to  an  invalidity,  or  is  a  real  invalidity 
itself. 

But  what  shall  we  say  to  the  superstitious  views  and 
practices  entertained  by  some  persons  respecting  this  cere- 
mony 1  By  them  it  is  considered  more  in  the  light  of  a 
charm,  spell  or  incantation,  than  a  significant  rite  whereby 
persons  are  separated  to  the  ministry.  Better,  certainl)% 
would  it  be,  not  to  use  it  at  all,  than  to  pervert  it  in  this 
manner.    In  the  first  book  of  Discipline,  adopted  in  the 


216  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

Church  of  Scotland,  by  John  Knox  and  others,  no  imposi- 
tion of  hands  was  used  in  ordination.  According  to  the 
rules  of  this  book,  that  Church  acted  for  eighteen  years. 
In  the  second  book,  the  practice  was  enjoined.  Among  the 
Wesleyan  Methodists,  no  imposition  of  hands,  except 
occasionally,  was  used  until  1836,  a  space  of  ninety-seven 
years  ;  and  yet  no  ordinations  on  the  face  of  the  earth  have 
been  more  in  accordance  with  Scripture  than  those  of  this 
body.  The  laying  on  of  hands  is  a  mere  ceremony,  be- 
coming, indeed,  if  used  without  superstition,  but  by  no 
means  either  necessary  or  essential  for  valid  ordination  to 
the  Christian  ministry. 

9.  Now  if  the  true  succession  does  not  consist  in  a  mere 
local  and  personal  succession  of  persons  and  places,  but  In 
the  retention  or  reception  of  the  truth — if  it  includes  sound 
moral  principles,  and  enforces  upright  moral  conduct  among 
Church  members,  so  as  to  reject  the  wicked  and  exclude 
them  entirely  from  the  pale  of  the  Church,  and  retain  only 
those  who,  in  the  judgment  of  charity  and  the  decisions  of 
the  Gospel,  bear  the  marks  and  produce  the  fruits  of  pure 
religion — if  the  true  mode  and  spirit  of  worship,  without 
idolatry,  are  maintained — if  the  wicked,  heretics  or  Simo- 
nists,  are  rejected  from  the  ministry,  or  are  forsaken  and 
avoided  in  consequence  of  their  misdoings — if  only  those 
who  are  holy  in  their  hearts  and  lives  are  called  of  God, 
and  qualified  to  instruct  the  people  in  the  ways  of  truth  and 
righteousness,  and  are  selected  for  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try— we  say  if  these  things  are  so,  as  they  certainly  are, 
and  if  we  apply  these  principles,  clearly  drawn  from 
Scripture,  in  testing  the  apostolical  character  of  the  succes- 
sionists  and  excliisionists,  we  shall  find  they  have  very  little 
Scriptural  ground  to  stand  upon  in  upholding  their  peculiar 
views,  whether  they  belong  to  the  Popish  Church  of  Rome^ 
the  regal  or  queenish  Church  of  England,  or  tlie  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States. 


CHAP.  IX. 3  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  217 

And  in  regard  to  ordination  itself,  we  shall  also  find  that 
they  are  more  deficient  of  Scriptural  character  than  Presby- 
terial  Churches,  whether  they  are  Congregationalists, 
Presbyterians,  Lutherans,  Methodists,  or  any  others,  if  we 
except  the  most  anarchial  and  erroneous  sects  of  the  two 
hemispheres.  Their  principal  strength  lies  in  the  use  of 
one  ceremony,  imposition  of  hands  by  certain  persons, 
whereas,  according  to  Scripture,  this  is  a  small  matter  com- 
pared with  those  things  which  are  essential. 

II.  But  we  will  test  the  claims  of  the  Popish,  regal  and 
American  exclusionists  separately. 

The  Church  of  Rome  claims  peculiarly  to  have  descended 
from  the  apostles  in  a  direct  line  of  succession,  and  pro- 
nounces all  other  Churches  to  be  schismatic  or  heretical. 
She  also  claims  to  be  in  possession  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
aposdes  and  the  true  ministry. 

The  supremacy  of  the  Pope  is  the  basis  on  which  the 
succession  is  founded.  But  the  Pope  was  not  originally 
the  fountain  of  all  jurisdiction,  nor  do  all  other  bishops 
derive  their  authority  from  his  mandate  or  commission;  nor 
do  they  act  as  his  commissioners  or  deputies.  The  Scrip- 
ture teaches  that  ministers  receive  their  commission  imme- 
diately from  God.  Speaking  of  the  elders,  bishops  or 
pastors  of  Ephesus,  the  Scriptures  say  that  the  "  Holy 
Ghost  had  made  them  bishops  to  feed  the  Church  of  God," 
Acts  XX,  28.  Again,  "  He  hath  given  some  to  be  apostles, 
some  prophets,  some  pastors  and  teachers,"  Ephesians  iv, 
11.  They  received  their  appointment  outwardly  by  the 
aposdes,  but  their  calling  was  from  God,  and  not  from  the 
apostles.  The  Scriptures  call  pastors  the  ministers  of 
Christ  and  of  God,"  "  the  stewards  of  God,"  "  fellow  servants 
of  the  aposdes."  It  is  true,  the  Romanists  say  that  "  God 
appoints  bishops  ;  but  mediately  by  the  Popes."  But  they 
can  give  no  proof  of  this ;  and  until  such  proof  is  given, 
we  must  act  without  it. 

19 


218  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP,  IX. 

Nor  did  the  Pope  originally  possess  the  choice,  ordina- 
tion and  confirmation  of  bishops.  The  first  ordination 
after  our  Lord's  ascension  was  that  of  Matthias.  In  this 
ordination,  all  the  disciples  that  were  there, presented  two, 
and  out  of  these  two  God  himself  chose  one  by  determining 
the  lot  to  fall  on  Matthias.  St.  Paul  was  chosen  apostle 
without  any  formal  ordination  of  Peter,  or  any  one  else. 
Besides,  in  every  city,  elders  and  bishops  were  appointed 
without  any  special  interference  of  Peter. 

In  surveying  all  the  appointments  or  ordinations  men- 
tioned in  the  New  Testament,  we  have  no  account  of  Peter 
taking  any  special  part  in  them  more  than  other  apostles. 
And  we  have  no  Scripture,  or  early  historical  testimony, 
that  the  Popes,  by  right  or  in  fact,  are  to  be  regarded  as 
the  sources  of  power  and  jurisdiction  in  ordaining  the 
clergy. 

Besides,  we  can  prove  incontestibly  the  following  points: 

1 .  The  succession,  through  the  Popes,  is  uncertain  and 
cannot  be  traced  out.  The  advocates  of  succession  have 
assigned  to  the  apostles  themselves  fixed  dioceses;  but  they 
have  done  this  without  any  authority  from  Scripture  or  the 
earliest  antiquity.  Indeed,  it  is  more  than  doubtful,  that 
Peter  ever  was  at  Rome.  The  account  of  the  immediate 
successors  of  the  apostles  is  very  doubtful  also.  There  is 
no  real  agreement  between  Eusebius,  TertuUian,  .Jerome, 
and  the  other  early  fathers  on  this  subject.  The  confusion 
here  is  so  great  that  it  seems  as  if  God  intended  the  whole 
as  a  mere  Babel.  Succeeding  writers,  however,  as  Nice- 
phorus,  Callistus,  and  Simon  the  Metaphrast,  and  other 
historical  tinkers,  have  taken  care  to  fill  all  the  vacancies  left 
by  Eusebius.  Thus  doubt  and  uncertainty  rest  on  this  suc- 
cession in  its  very  source  and  first  beginnings. 

2.  The  succession  of  the  Popes,  according  to  the  admis- 
sions of  Romanist  writers  themselves,  has  been  frequently 
interrupted  by  vacations,  schisms,  ^c.    The  succession 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


219 


has  been  intermpted  by  vacations  in  the  Popedom  on 
several  accounts,  which  is  a  proof  that  the  Church  can 
subsist  without  it.  The  following  are  instances : — When 
Rome  was  desolated  by  the  Goths,  Vandals  and  Lombard?. 
At  times  when  the  Romans  would  not  suffer  Popes  to  live 
among  them.  In  cases  when  the  Popes,  for  above  seventy 
years,  resided  in  France:  during  this  period,  they  were 
only  titular,  not  real  bishops  of  Rome :  they  were  bishops 
of  Avignon,  not  of  Rome.  When  Popes  were  introduced 
by  violence,  as  was  often  the  case.  When  elections  were 
uucanonical,  and  therefore  null  and  void.  When  Popes 
were  deposed,  as  was  sometimes  the  case,  by  emperors  and 
general  councils. 

The  schisms  in  the  Popedom  show  the  impossibility  of 
tracing  this  broken  line  of  succession  downward  from 
Peter.  Some  Romanists  have  reckoned  twenty-two  schisms, 
and  others  twenty-eight,  that  happened  in  the  Roman  see 
alone ;  among  which  the  twenty-seventh  was  the  greatest 
and  was  of  thirty  years'  duration,  occurring  between  the 
times  of  Urban  VI  and  Clement  VII.  There  were  also,  at 
the  same  time.  Popes  at  Rome  and  France  who  excommu- 
nicated and  cursed  each  other  in  a  shocking  manner.  It 
was  generally  contrived  either  to  depose,  banish,  or  murder 
one  or  more  of  them.  The  Council  of  Basil  pronounced 
Eugenius  a  schismatic,  who  nevertheless  obtained  the 
Popedom.  From  him  have  descended  other  Popes  to  this 
day,  who  as  his  successors,  the  successors  of  a  schismatic, 
have  no  riglit  according  to  their  own  canons,  to  ordain  in 
the  Church.  To  have  succession  through  all  these  Popes 
and  anti-popes,  through  poison,  excommunication,  &c., 
would  be  difficult  indeed. 

Their  doctrine  of  intention  renders  it  uncertain  who  are 
truly  ordained.  The  Council  of  Trent,  imitating  the  Coun- 
cil of  Florence,  declares  as  follows  :  "  Whoever  shall  affirm 
that  when  ministers  shall  perform  and  confer  a  sacrament, 


220 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


[chap.  IX. 


it  is  not  necessary  that  they  should  have  at  least  the  intention 
to  do  what  the  Church  does,  let  him  be  accursed." 
(Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  VII,  can.  II.)  According  to  this  doc- 
trine, it  is  very  uncertain  who  are  and  who  are  not  truly 
ordained  ministers.  It  is  impossible,  therefore,  to  trace  out 
a  succession  with  any  clearness,  which  is  liable  to  so  many 
uncertainties  in  the  very  act  of  consecration  or  appointment. 
There  is  great  doubt  whether  some  Popes  were  ever 
ordained  at  all  to  the  ministry.  According  to  the  general 
principles  of  the  Church,  no  man  can  be  a  bishop  who  has 
not  previously  been  a  presbyter:  all  others  are  really  no 
more  than  laymen.  The  consecration  of  a  bishop  is  not 
ordination  to  the  Christian  ministry,  but  a  mere  ecclesias- 
tical ceremony.  Now,  many  of  the  bishops  of  Rome 
were  no  more  than  laymen  at  their  consecration.  They 
never  were,  therefore,  ordained  to  the  Christian  ministry. 
Consequently  they  had  no  Christian  orders,  and  could  be- 
stow none. 

3.  Many,  if  not  all,  of  the  ordinations  of  the  Popes  are 
null  and  void  by  some  one  of  the  following  causes : 

(1.)  Many  Popes  were  wicked,  irreligious  or  ignorant 
men,  therefore  their  ordinations  were  invalid.  This  was 
the  case  with  most  of  the  Popes ;  and  the  Church  of  Rome 
teaches  that  wicked  men  may  be  lawful  ministers,  and  she 
also  largely  practices  on  her  doctrine. 

She  teaches  this  doctrine  officially  as  infallible.  The 
Council  of  Trent  declares,  "  Whoever  shall  affirm  that  a 
iflinister  who  is  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin  does  not  perform 
or  confer  a  sacrament,  although  he  observes  every  thing 
that  is  essential  to  the  performance  and  bestowment  of  it, 
let  him  be  accursed."  (Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  VII,  can.  12.) 
The  same  council,  speaking  of  absolution,  which  it  calla 
the  power  of  binding  and  loosing,  says,  "  Whoever  shall 
affirm  that  priests,  living  in  mortal  sin,  have  not  the 
power  of  binding  and  loosing,  let  him  be  accursed.' 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


221 


(Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  XIV,  cap.  9,  can.  10.)  Observe,  the 
wickedness  of  the  administrator  does  not  arise  from  an 
occasional  lapse  into  scandalous  sin,  or  from  his  being 
taken  by  surprise.  The  minister  is  supposed  to  be  an 
habitual  sinner,  as  well  as  a  notorious  one.  This  is  clear 
from  the  words  of  the  council,  "in  a  state  of  mortal  sin,'" 
and  "LIVING  in  mor/a/ sin."  This  /t/e  and  condition,  or 
state,  is  that  of  a  flagrant,  notorious  sinner.  Mortal  sins 
are  mentioned,  as  fornication,  murder,  theft,  drunkenness, 
&c.,  and  he  may  be  guilty  of  them  all,  and  yet  his  minis- 
trations are  deemed  valid. 

And  the  practice  has  accorded  with  the  teaching  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  as  well  in  regard  to  Popes  and  bishops 
as  the  inferior  clergy.  Many  Popes  have  been  guilty  of 
the  most  heinous  and  scandalous  sins,  as  Roman  Catholic 
authors  testify.  Is  it  credible  or  possible  that  such  mon- 
sters of  wickedness  can  transmit  the  sacred  truths  of  God 
with  lidelity,  or  that  God  would  choose  them  to  be  his  min- 
isters in  holy  things  ?  Their  ministry  cannot  profit  man, 
nor  can  it  be  valid  in  the  sight  of  God.  St.  Paul  says  a 
bishop  or  pastor  must  be  a  man  of  good  moral  and  Chris- 
tian character;  and  none  others  are  allowed  to  enter  or  con- 
tinue in  the  ministry. 

Bellarmine  and  Baronius  tell  us,  however,  that  the  provi- 
dence of  God  is  wonderfully  manifest  in  preserving  the 
purity  of  the  Church  during  the  lives  of  so  many  wicked 
Popes.  But  why  call  this  preserving  the  Church,  when  it 
is  destroyed  by  sin  ?  What,  in  the  meantime,  became  of 
the  souls  of  these  wicked  Popes  and  of  those  who  followed 
their  example? 

Now,  if  a  wicked  Pope  may  still  be  a  good  Pope,  as 
Romish  authors  say,  then  wicked  clergy  are  considered  as 
good  likewise ;  and,  moreover,  wicked  laymen  are  also 
regarded  as  good  Christians,  or  good  Catholics,  and  are 
ranked  among  the  faithful  in  the  Church  of  Rome. 


222  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [CHAP.  TX. 

(2.)  The  ordination  of  many  Popes  is  null  in  conse- 
quence of  their  heresies,  or  false  doctrines.  Some 
Popes  were  heretics,  and  taught  heresy  in  the  sense  which 
the  Church  of  Rome  herself  understands  it.  Victor  was  a 
Monothelite ;  Marcellinus  was  an  idolater ;  Liberius  was  an 
Arian ;  Honorius  was  a  Monothelite.  John  XXIII  denied 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  as  the  Council  of  Constance 
says  concerning  him.  Anastasius  was  a  Nestorian;  Vi- 
gilius  was  an  Eutychean;  Eugenius  IV  was  deposed  by 
the  Council  of  Constance,  as  a  pertinacious  heretic,  devi- 
ating from  the  faith — a  fide  devius,  pertinax  hcereticus. 
Moreover,  many  Popes  have  been  guilty  of  the  heresy  of 
Simony. 

Besides,  all  Popes,  since  the  session  of  the  Council  of 
Trent,  and  many  before  that  time,  were  gross  heretics,  as 
they  believed  in  purgatory,  the  merits  of  good  works,  tran- 
substantiation,  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  and  other  kindred 
doctrines ;  all  which  are  contrary  to  Scripture.  They  were 
also  pertinacious  heretics,  for  they  persisted  in  their  errors 
with  the  greatest  obstinacy.  Indeed,  the  whole  Popedom 
is  supported  by  a  collection  of  gross  heresies. 

(3.)  Soine  Popes  were  chosen  by  Simony,  and,  there- 
fore, by  their  own  rules,  could  not  be  Popes,  but  were 
heretics  and  heresiarchs.  Baronius  saith,  "  Such  an  elec- 
tion or  assumption  is  null."  Indeed,  the  basest  Simony 
ever  practiced  is  chargeable  on  the  Popes ;  for  they  con- 
ferred livings  on  bishops  by  the  worst  kind  of  Simoniacal 
practices.  The  Papacy  itself  was  disposed  of  in  this  way, 
and  the  bishoprics  were  often  exposed  to  sale,  and  made 
articles  of  traffick.  The  inference  is,  that  many  of  the  ordi- 
nations of  Popes  and  bishops  were  null  in  consequence  of 
the  Simony  practiced  in  reference  to  them. 

(4.)  The  wicked  measures  employed  very  often  to  make 
Popes  render  their  ordination  null  and  void  from  the 
beginning.    The  elections  of  the  bishops  of  Rome,  even 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


233 


before  the  lime  of  Vitalianus,  were  scenes  of  intrigue,  con- 
tention, violence  and  blood-shed,  and  consequently  none 
but  wicked  men  would  allow  themselves  to  be  chosen  by 
such  methods.  For  about  three  hundred  years  the  Popes 
were  made  by  the  emperors'  mandates.  At  other  times 
they  were  put  into  the  Papal  chair  by  the  most  wicked  per- 
sons, and  the  vilest  methods. 

(5.)  Look  at  the  nullities  connected  with  the  ordina- 
tions of  the  Popes,  and  mark  the  consequence.  Many  of 
the  Popes,  in  all  ages  since  the  establishment  of  the  Pope- 
dom, have  been  utterly  ineligible  to  any  ministerial  office, 
in  consequence  of  their  wicked  lives,  and  their  want  of 
moral  qualities ;  and  others  have  been  guilty  of  the  grossest 
Simony  :  while  others  again  have  ascended  the  Papal  throne 
by  the  most  unchristian  means.  Add  to  this,  that  all  of 
them  for  several  hundred  years  were  gross  heretics,  in 
adopting  the  corrupt  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 
The  inevitable  conclusion  is,  that,  according  to  the  prin- 
ciples they  themselves  lay  down,  their  own  ordinations  are 
null  and  void ;  and  they  have  no  authority,  for  this  and  sim- 
ilar reasons,  to  ordain  others.  Consequently,  Papal  ordina- 
tions, according  to  the  decisions  and  requirements  of  Scrip- 
ture, are  null  as  a  whole ;  and  should  any  of  their  clergy  be 
recognized  as  ministers  in  Protestant  Churches,  they  must 
be  received  on  Protestant  or  Scriptural  principles,  on  the 
ground  of  their  personal  religion,  tlieir  true  ministerial 
qualifications,  their  freedom  from  disqualifying  disabilities, 
and  their  adherence  to  Bible  doctrines,  and  not  to  Papal 
novelties;  and,  therefore,  those  Protestants  who  have 
admitted  clergymen  from  the  Church  of  Rome,  on  the 
ordination  they  received  in  that  Church,  have  admitted 
them  on  the  score  of  null  ordinations  in  a  corrupt  and 
heretical  Church. 

4.  The  bishops  of  the  Church  of  Rome  are  not  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  apostles  any  more  than  the  Popes  them- 


324  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY-  [cHAP.  IX. 

selves.  The  following  are  the  reasons :  1.  They  propagate 
new  doctrines,  either  unknown  or  rejected  by  the  apostolic 
and  primitive  Church.  2.  They  confess  that  they  receive  all 
their  power,  jurisdiction  and  dignity  from  the  Pope,  whom 
they  acknowledge  to  be  universal  bishop  and  supreme  head 
of  the  Church.  3.  They  are  unscripturally  appointed ;  as 
they  ai-e  not  chosen  by  the  body  of  presbyters  or  pastors, 
and  by  the  consent  or  approbation  of  the  people.  4.  Often 
persons  have  been  put  in  the  bishop's  office,  utterly  un- 
qualified and  therefore  ineligible.  5.  They  perform  a  very 
small  part  of  the  episcopal  functions.  6.  Many  of  them 
lead  profane  lives,  practice  an  impure  celibacy,  and  are 
infamous  for  public  scandalous  sins.  7.  They  bind  them- 
selves by  a  wicked  and  unlawful  oath,  so  that  they  cannot 
speak  the  truth,  or  act  according  to  the  rules  of  right,  if  it 
would  be  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  Pope. 

Now,  in  reference  to  the  ordinations  of  Romish  bishops, 
we  contend  tliat  they  are  null  and  void,  because  they  are 
ineligible  to  the  pastor's  office  on  account  of  their  immoral 
lives,  their  want  of  ministerial  qualifications,  their  heretical 
doctrines,  and  the  source  from  which  they  receive  their 
ordinations,  namely,  through  the  Pope  of  Rome. 

5.  The  common  clergy  of  the  Church  of  Rome  do  not 
succeed  the  pastors  of  flocks  in  the  apostolic  Church. 
Many  of  them  are  utterly  ineligible  to  the  minister's  office, 
on  account  of  their  sins  and  incompetency  as  ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  and  their  ordinations  are  therefore  n\ill.  All 
of  them  are  appointed  to  their  ministry,  for  the  most  part, 
by  bishops  whose  own  ordinations  are  null  and  void.  Her 
clergy,  therefore,  as  such,  are  not  authorized,  according  to 
Scripture,  to  minister  in  holy  things. 

6.  The  people,  too,  of  the  Church  of  Rome  are  not  such 
as  would  Scripturally  constitute  the  true  Church.  Most  of 
them  are  ignorant  and  superstitious,  and  generally  of  immoral 
lives.    Surely  they  are  not  such  as  the  apostles  would 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


225 


recognize  as  Christians,  were  they  now  alive.  The  great 
body  of  them  are  unfit  to  belong  to  any  Church. 

7.  In  brief,  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  a  whole,  is  corrupt. 
Apply  one  plain  Scriptural  canon  to  the  Church  of  Rome, 

and  it  would  raze  her  to  the  very  foundation.  It  is  the 
following:  "That  wicked  men  are  inadmissible  in  the 
capacity  of  cither  clergy  or  laity ;  and  if  found  in  the 
Church,  they  must  be  expelled."  This  single  and  un- 
doubted Scriptural  rule,  if  faithfully  applied,  would  lead  to 
the  expulsion  of  the  great  body  of  their  clergy  and  laity, 
from  the  Pope  down  to  the  lowest  layman,  and  would  lay 
their  Church  waste.  Or  rather,  if  we  could  separate  from 
the  indiscriminate  crowd  of  clergy  and  laity  all  who  are  not 
Scripturally  true  Christians  and  ministers,  in  the  judgment  of 
charity,  we  should  find  that  the  flock  would  be  small  indeed. 
And  yet  the  Scripture  demands  this.  Nor  can  there  be  a 
Church  without  this  very  disciplinary  course.  And,  indeed, 
the  mass  of  clergy  and  laity,  called  the  Church  of  Rome, 
are  no  Church  at  all,  properly  and  Scripturally  speaking, 
but  a  promiscuous  crowd  in  which  the  evil  predominates 
and  consequently  controls  the  good. 

8.  There  has  been,  independently  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  a  succession  or  transmission  of  Christianity  through 
a  purer  channel  and  in  a  purer  state  than  that  which  she 
inculcates.  This  declaration  is  susceptible  of  ample  proof, 
but  our  limits  forbid  us  to  enlarge. 

We  next  proceed  to  the  Church  of  England.  This 
Church  has  claimed  for  many  years  peculiar  and  almost 
exclusive  privileges,  even  to  the  unchurching  of  her  more 
Scriptural  neighbors.  She  asserts  that  Bishops  are  an  order 
of  clergy  distinct  from  and  superior  to  elders. 

But  the  general  tenor  of  Scripture  is  against  this  High 
Church  claim.  The  character  displayed  by  our  Lord  him- 
self on  many  occasions,  and  presented  for  the  imitation  of 
his  ministers,  and  also  his  warnings  against  all  lordly 


226 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [CHAP.  IX. 


pretenses,  as  well  as  the  lessons  of  humility  which  he 
taught,  are  opposed  to  prelacy.  The  example  and  instruc- 
tions of  the  apostles  are  likewise  at  variance  with  the 
Anglican  prelatic  scheme. 

Bishops  and  elders,  according  to  the  New  Testament, 
are  one  and  the  same  order  of  clergy.  Compare  Acts  xx, 
17,  28;  Phil,  i,  1 ;  1  Tim.  lii,  1-5;  Titus  i,  5,  17,28;  1 
Peter  v,  1 ,  2. 

The  early  doctrine  and  fundamental  principles  of  the 
Church  of  England  are  at  variance  with  the  successionists. 
Of  this  the  clearest  proofs  from  the  standard  works  of 
this  Church  itself,  have  been  furnished  by  many  authors ; 
but  in  our  brief  sketch  we  have  not  space  for  their  insertion. 
We  will  content  ourselves  with  noticing, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  the  prominent  defects  and  irregu- 
larities  of  the  Church  of  England  in  Church  polity,  and 
in  reference  to  ordinations  to  the  ministry. 

We  have  a  number  of  reasons  to  ofTer,  which  go  to  show, 
that  notwithstanding  the  pretense  of  the  English  Church, 
she  is,  in  many  respects,  deplorably  wanting  in  apostolical 
character  and  Scriptural  qualities,  and  that  she  has  several 
traits  not  authorized  by  Scripture,  but  contrary  thereto. 
We  notice  the  following  defects  and  irregularities : 

(1.)  The  Church  of  England  is  under  the  absolute 
dominion  of  a  civil  power,  the  British  Parliament. 

Both  the  kind  and  degree  of  power  exercised  by  the 
British  Parliament  over  the  Church  are  unwarranted  by 
Scripture. 

That  a  civil  body  should  govern  the  Church  of  Christ  is 
both  unreasonable  and  unscriptural. 

Let  us  look,  for  a  moment,  at  the  religious  character  of 
the  three  component  parts  of  the  Parliament,  the  king  or 
queen,  lords  and  commons.  The  king  is  considered  a 
Churchman;  but  he  may  cease  to  be  such,  as  is  proved 
from  the  changes  already  made,  and  which  may  again  occur, 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENDINE  EPISCOPACY.  227 

notwithstanding  the  coronation  oath  and  other  guards. 
Queen  Mary  was  a  Romanist;  and  so  was  James  II. 
Queen  Victoria  is  said  to  be  a  Swedenborgian  and  also  to 
lean  to  the  Puseyites  or  Tractarians.  The  lords  spiritual 
are  also  Churchmen,  but  then  they  are  now  almost  to  a  man 
Puseyites,  or  half  Puseyites,  or  semi-Romanists,  or  Roman- 
istic,  as  the  reader  may  please  to  designate  such  non-descript 
religionists.  Besides,  all  the  bishops  are  authoritatively 
appointed  and  made  by  the  king  or  queen.  Of  the  lords 
temporal,  some  are  Churchmen,  some  are  Presbyterians, 
some  are  Dissenters  of  various  kinds,  some  are  Roman 
Catholics,  and  others  are  infidels.  Some  are  wicked  men, 
some  are  mere  moralists,  and  a  few  are  religious.  More- 
over, the  peers  are  appointed  by  the  throne,  and  that  to  any 
number,  except  those  who  are  peers  by  birth,  or  the  few 
that  are  elected  by  the  Scotch  nobility.  Such  is  the 
religious  character  of  the  House  of  Lords.  As  to  the 
Commons,  they  too,  are  composed  of  conflicting  elements, 
as  Churchmen,  Presbyterians,  Dissenters,  Methodists,  Ro- 
man Catholics,  and  infidels.  Some  of  them  are  religious, 
some  are  wicked,  and  others  are  atheistic.  They  are  also  the 
representatives  of  the  widely  diversified  parties  just  men- 
tioned, all  of  whom,  in  electing,  are  influenced,  more  or 
less,  by  their  peculiar  religious  or  irreligious  sentiments. 
A  large  part,  therefore,  of  the  supreme  ecclesiastical  legis- 
lature of  the  Anglican  Church  is  composed  of  persons  of 
very  difl'erent  creeds  from  herself,  and  many  of  them  are 
possessed  of  the  most  determined  hostility  to  lier  faith, 
worship,  episcopacy,  general  order,  and  in  short,  to  almost 
every  thing  in  which  her  interests  and  permanency  as  a 
Church  are  concerned.  And  what  is  still  more  strange,  no 
purely  ecclesiastical  body  in  this  Church  possesses  any 
power  to  control  or  hinder  in  the  least  degree  any  changes, 
however  great,  that  may  be  made  in  her  creed,  discipline, 
mode  of  worship,  or  any  thing  else.    Such  i?  the  supreme 


228 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 


ecclesiastical  legislature  of  the  Anglican  Church.  Is  it 
possible  that  such  a  body  of  men  can  be  safe  legislators  for 
a  religious  organization  ? 

Moreover,  the  degree  of  power  claimed  and  exercised  by 
the  Parliament  over  the  Church  is  enormous.  The  Parlia- 
ment has  sovereign  and  uncontrollable  authority  in  eccle- 
siastical as  well  as  civil  affairs ;  and  to  such  a  degree  as  to 
be  able  to  alter  the  religion  of  the  land.  The  Church  can 
be  changed  in  any  manner  and  to  any  extent  possible  by  the 
Parliament.  It  can  be  changed  in  its  doctrines  and  disci- 
pline, in  its  rites  and  ceremonies,  in  the  qualifications  of  its 
ministers,  and  in  short,  in  every  thing ;  and  no  Church 
synod  can  in  any  degree,  control  or  prevent  the  changes, 
however  serious  they  may  be. 

That  the  Parliament  can  change  or  alter  the  Church  in 
any  possible  form,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  because  it  has 
been  already  done  in  many  instances.  And  who  can  tell 
what  changes  may  yet  take  place  in  a  very  short  time. 
Surely  such  an  institution  was  not  reared  by  the  apostles 
of  Christ,  who  taught  that  his  kingdom  was  not  of  this 
world. 

The  last  shape  into  which  the  Anglican  Church  was 
molded,  after  a  variety  of  changes  and  alterations  by  the 
Parliament,  was  the  regal  form  of  Church  government. 
It  is  not  Presbyterial,  because  elders  or  presbyters  have 
not  the  chief  rule.  Nor  is  it  episcopal,  because  bishops, 
deriving  their  authority  from  the  elders,  and  accountable  to 
them  for  its  proper  exercise,  are  not  highest  in  office.  Nor 
is  it  prelaiical,  because  prelates  have  not  the  chief  nile, 
seeing  this  belongs  to  the  Parliament  and  king.  It  is  true, 
they  claim  to  be  episcopal,  but  in  this  they  are  mistaken; 
for  episcopacy  proper  derives  its  jurisdiction  from  the  pas- 
tors and  people.  It  is  also  a  mistake  to  call  k  prelatical,  as 
Presbyterians  usually  denominate  the  English  Church ;  for 
the  prelates  are  appointed  by  the  king,  and  are  accountable 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  229 

to  him  solely,  unless  the  Parliament  interpose,  and  then  the 
king  is  a  component  part  of  the  Parliament.  The  prelati- 
cal  form  of  government  invests  bishops  with  the  power  of 
jurisdiction  and  of  conferring  orders;  but  the  English 
prelates  do  not  possess  either  of  those  powers,  as  of  right 
belonging  to  their  distinct  order  of  bishops.  We  know 
they  profess  and  teach  this  doctrine,  and  attempt  to  practice 
accordinglj',  but  this  is  a  mere  private  opinion.  It  is  not 
the  principle  which  governs.  The  principle  places  the 
jurisdiction  in  the  Parliament  and  king  as  the  sources  of 
ecclesiastical  legislation,  and  of  executive  power  respec- 
tively ;  for  the  bishops  have  their  sees  under  the  immediate 
authority  of  the  king.  The  regal  is,  therefore,  the  proper 
ecclesiastical  form  of  Church  government  in  the  Anglican 
Church,  unless  the  term  Parliamentary  might  be  deemed 
better. 

(2.)  fFe  object  to  the  ^inglican  Church  having  her  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  head  in  the  person  of  the  reigning 
monarch,  whether  king  or  queen,  and  in  case  of  a  minor 
the  king's  council.  Here,  too,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Par- 
liament, we  object  to  both  the  kiiid  and  degree  of  power 
vested  in  the  British  monarch. 

As  to  the  kind  of  power,  we  have  three  objections :  first, 
the  simple  headship  ;  secondly,  its  being  vested  in  a  female ; 
and,  thirdly,  its  exercise  by  a  minor,  whether  male  or  female. 

Moreover,  the  degree  of  authority,  and  the  various 
powers  invested  in  the  English  monarchs  by  the  suprem- 
acy, appear  to  us  quite  too  large.  The  king's  power,  in 
our  apprehension,  is  altogether  without  any  proper  Scrip- 
ture warrant.  He  can  exercise  authority,  in  matters  of  faith 
and  discipline,  such  as  was  never  given  to  any  succession 
of  men  by  Almighty  God  since  the  world  began.  Those 
who  sat  in  Moses'  seat  made  no  such  pretensions.  The 
Pope  only,  whose  successor  the  English  monarch  is,  can 
equal  him  in  these  matters. 

20 


230 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX, 


(3.)  Another  departure  from  apostolical  character  is, 
the  subjection  of  the  Church  to  the  state.  This  is  an 
unavoidable  consequence,  arising  from  the  powers  in- 
vested in  the  king  and  Parliament.  The  Church  can- 
not call  her  convocation  without  the  royal  mandate, 
whatever  exigence  may  occur.  When  assembled,  they 
are  under  the  king's  control;  and  their  enactments  are 
of  no  authority,  unless  his  majesty  give  them  his  assent. 
Now,  we  would  ask,  where  is  there  any  Scripture  authority 
for  this,  or  is  it  any  way  consonant  with  reason  and 
Scripture  ? 

(4.)  The  appointment  of  bishops  by  the  crown  is  replete 
with  many  evils.  This,  surely,  cannot  be  viewed  either 
as  apostolical  or  primitive.  In  early  times,  those  called 
bishops  were  elected  by  the  body  of  elders  over  whom 
they  presided,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  people  whom 
they  served.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  king  nom- 
inates, elects  and  consecrates ;  for  what  he  does  by  his 
officers,  who  must  not  resist  his  will,  he  does  himself. 
In  short,  to  use  the  language  of  the  English  law,  applied 
to  this  case,  he  makes  or  creates  bishops. 

(5.)  The  unnaturcd  alliance  of  Church  and  state  is 
another  defect  in  the  Church  of  England.  This  junction 
is  injurious  to  both.  The  civil  powers  are  embarrassed 
with  religious  tests  and  ecclesiastical  encroachments.  The 
Church  is  loaded  with  political  principles  and  political 
ministers  in  tlie  place  of  evangelical  ones.  Thus  each 
receives  injury  from  the  alliance.  Such  was  not  the 
form  of  the  Christian  Church  for  several  centuries  after 
Christ. 

(6.)  In  comparing  the  dignitaries  of  the  English 
Church  with  the  primitive  bishops,  we  see  an  amazing 
contrast.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  draw  the  comparison 
between  the  opulent,  unpreaching  prelates  of  the  Anglican 
Church,  and  the  self-denying  and  humble  apostles,  whose 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


231 


undoubted  successors  they  claim  to  be.  Between  them 
there  are  very  few  common  traits  of  character. 

(7.)  The  worldly  character  of  the  clergy.  We  ought 
not  to  forget  that  the  worldly  and  political  mold  into  which 
the  English  Church  was  cast  in  her  legislative  head,  the 
Parliament;  in  her  executive  head,  the  king;  and  in  her 
official  heads,  the  bishops,  is  also  seen  and  felt  in  her  min- 
isters in  general.  Their  pride  and  luxury,  previous  to 
being  put  to  the  blush  during  the  last  hundred  years  by 
their  more  circumspect  neighbors,  were  truly  alarming. 
And  even  now  they  are  far  from  being  ensamples  to  the 
flock.  Look  at  their  sinecures  and  at  those  who  possess 
pluralities,  and  who  are,  of  course,  non-residents. 

The  revenues  of  the  Irish  Church  are  enormous.  The 
twenty-two  bishops  divide  in  rents  and  fines  ;£220,000  per 
annum.  That  is,  each  receives  an  average  income,  if  this 
estimate  be  correct,  of  £10,000,  or  nearly  $50,000.  The 
income  of  the  beneficed  clergymen  of  the  Irish  Church  is 
estimated  at  £1,500,000,  and  the  average  worth  of  each 
living  is  £800,  or  a  little  short  of  $4,000.  And  these 
princely  incomes  are  extorted,  in  part,  from  a  half-clad  and 
starving  Catholic  peasantry !  And  the  greater  part  of  this 
enormous  income  goes  to  support  pluralists,  and  other  non- 
resident incumbents,  in  idleness  and  luxury. 

According  to  the  best  calculations,  the  whole  Protestant 
population  does  not  exceed  a  million  and  a  half,  while  the 
Roman  Catholics  number  six  millions  and  a  half.  About 
one-half  of  the  Protestants  are  dissenters  from  the  Estab- 
lished Church.  Hence,  seven  millions  of  the  Irish,  after 
voluntarily  supporting  their  own  clergy,  are  compelled,  by 
law,  to  pay  enormous  salaries  in  behalf  of  the  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  Churchmen.  But  how  great  will 
the  contrast  be,  if  we  compare  our  English  and  Irish  rectors, 
vicars,  and  even  curates,  with  the  primitive  ministers? 
How  absurd,  then,  their  claims  to  almost  exclusive  apos- 


232 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 


tolic  succession  among  reformed  Churches,  and  how  much 
more  defective  in  genuine  apostolic  character  are  they  than 
their  neighbors,  who  make  no  such  pretensions ! 

(8.)  Besides,  their  people,  as  might  be  expected,  are 
very  much  like  their  leaders.  What  profaneness  and 
glaring  wickedness  almost  everywhere  prevail  among  all 
classes  of  this  communion !  And  where  this  is  not  so  much 
the  case,  and  where  morality  is  inculcated  and  observed, 
how  great  is  the  ignorance  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
and  more  especially  of  experimental  religion. 

(9.)  Her  laxity  in  discipline.  This  is  another  par- 
ticular in  which  we  think  there  is  an  incalculably  great 
lack  of  primitive  excellence  in  the  English  Church:  she 
is  exceediugly  lax  in,  or  almost  totally  negligent  of,  Gos- 
pel discipline.  Her  members,  in  general,  are  members  by 
birth-right  or  baptism,  and  are  regenerated,  according  to 
their  generally  received  views,  in  the  performance  of  this 
rite.  No  proper  conditions  are  required  of  those  who 
come  into  her  pale ;  but  any  one  who  thinks  fit  may  attach 
himself  to  her  communion,  however  unqualified  he  may  be 
to  bear  the  Christian  name.  Besides,  as  members  of  the 
Establishment,  there  are  no  proper  Christian  requirements 
enjoined  and  exacted,  any  more  than  from  others  who 
make  no  pretensions  to  religion.  Indeed,  their  Church  mem- 
bership has  scarcely  any  thing  more  sacred  in  it  than  citizen- 
ship, or  being  born  in  some  part  of  the  British  dominions. 

(10.)  It  is  due  to  observe,  that  there  are  several  good 
things  to  be  found  in  the  English  Church,  and  that  she  is 
infinitely  better  than  Popery.  One  good  trait  was,  that  at 
her  organization  she  rejected  Popery  as  a  whole.  She  gave 
the  word  of  God  to  her  people,  and  is  aiding  in  giving  it  to 
all  lands.  She  has  fostered  and  promoted  learning  of  every 
kind,  to  some  degree.  There  is  also  a  small  minority  of 
pious  people  and  ministers  within  her  pale.  A  glorious 
revival  of  religion  lias  grown  up  within  her  bosom  through 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENXJINE  EPISCOPACY. 


233 


the  instrumentality  of  the  Wesleys ;  and  though  she  has 
not  availed  herself  of  it  so  as  thoroughly  to  reform  herself, 
both  the  nation  and  the  world  have  been  the  better  by  this 
glorious  return  to  Scriptural  and  primitive  Christianity. 

We  are  not,  however,  of  those  who  believe  that  the 
Church  of  England  is  eitlier  the  bulwark  of  Protestantism, 
or  that,  as  just  stated,  she  is  truly  reformed.  All  the  refor- 
mation she  has  undergone,  has  been  a  forced  impression 
made  in  her,  first  by  the  Puritans,  and  lately  by  the  Metho- 
dists. But  there  has  no  change,  in  our  opinion,  for  the 
better  taken  place  in  her  polity,  or  in  lier  operations,  which 
promises  any  radical  reformation  either  of  people  or  minis- 
ters, except  what  has  arisen  from  the  source  just  mentioned, 
or  what  has  been  forced  on  her  from  without.  Reform 
her,  and  she  is  razed  to  the  ground,  like  her  mother,  or 
elder  sister,  Rome.  Separate  all  her  wicked  or  unchristian 
clergy  and  laity  from  her  pale — then  abolish  her  connection 
with  the  state — then  give  her  a  Scriptural  or  apostolical 
Church  polity,  whether  Episcopal,  Presbyterial  or  Con- 
gregational, such  as  tlie  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  or  the 
Independents,  or  the  Methodists  have,  and  the  Church  of 
England  is  no  more. 

2.  We  now  proceed  to  show,  secondly,  that  the  ordina- 
tions of  the  Church  of  England  are  either  vitiated  or  nidi, 
by  their  descent  from  the  Church  of  Rome. 

(1.)  Allowing,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  that  the 
orders  from  the  Church  of  Rome  are  valid,  the  orders  of 
the  Church  of  England,  derived  from  Rome,  are  either 
greatly  vitiated  or  altogether  invalid.  This  we  prove  by 
the  following  reasons:  1.  The  Church  of  Rome,  in  her 
ordination,  never  endowed  any  man  with  episcopal  authority 
with  the  intention,  that  should  he  leave  her,  he  would  carry 
his  authority  with  him ;  and  without  the  intention  in  the 
ordainer,  no  ordination,  according  to  them,  could  be  valid. 
Now  the  intention  both  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
20* 


234 


GENUlNi;  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 


ordainers  in  it,  with  reference  to  all  bishops  and  other  clergy, 
is,  that  they  should  remain  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  exer- 
cise their  ministry  there,  and  among  no  others.  2.  The 
English  reformers  were  all  excommunicated  by  the  Pope, 
and,  of  course,  their  succession  was  cut  off ;  especially 
viewing  succession  to  be  uninterrupted,  which  is  the  general 
idea  attached  to  it  by  its  asserters ;  and  surely  excommu- 
nicated and  degraded  clergymen  are  not  the  persons  to 
ordain  others.  If  it  be  said  the  excommunication  was 
unscriptural,  and  the  Church  of  Rome  had  no  authority 
thus  to  excommunicate,  we  answer,  if  this  be  allowed,  then 
she  had  no  authority  to  confer  orders;  for  if  she  be  so 
far  apostate  as  to  be  deprived  of  the  power  of  excommu- 
nication, she  is  also  so  far  apostate  as  to  be  deprived  of  the 
power  of  conferring  orders.  If,  by  transgression,  she  fell 
from  the  one,  she  cannot  possess  the  other  privilege.  And 
if  she  could  not  excommunicate  the  English  Church,  and 
deprive  her  of  her  orders,  she  could  not  confer  orders,  and 
therefore  the  English  Church  could  receive  no  orders  from 
her.    Such  is  the  true  consequence. 

(2.)  In  many  instances,  the  chain  of  ordinations,  from 
the  Church  of  Rome  to  the  Church  of  England,  wai 
actually  broken.  The  English  succession  was  interrupted 
in  the  case  of  Archbishop  Parker,  who  was  ordained  De- 
cember 17th,  1559,  by  bishops  who  had  been  deposed  in 
the  reign  of  Mary.  The  connection  between  these  tuo 
Churches  was  broken  in  the  case  of  Archbishop  Jiixon, 
in  1660  or  1663.  In  the  case  of  the  non-jurors  too,  in 
1689,  the  succession  of  the  Church  of  England  was  broken. 

(3.)  As  ordinations  in  the  Church  of  Rome  are  generally 
or  altogether  invalid,  and  as  such  ordinations  were  received 
in  England  from  that  corrupt  Churcli  from  the  year  668  to 
the  year  1517,  of  course  the  ordinations  in  the  Church  of 
England,  received  from  Rome,  are  themselves  generally  or 
altogether  invalid. 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENriNE  EPISCOPACY.  235 

We  will  state  a  few  cases  in  which  this  absolute  nullity- 
appears  in  the  ordinations  of  British  bishops  by  the  Popes. 

Plegmund,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was  ordained  in 
891,  at  Rome,  by  Pope  Formosus,  who  was  so  notorious 
for  his  crimes,  that  Stephen  VI,  his  successor,  at  the  head 
of  his  council,  having  declared  the  ordinations  of  Formosus 
null,  decreed  all  should  be  re-ordained  whom  he  had  or- 
dained. Sergius  III  renewed  all  that  Stephen  had  done 
against  Formosus,  and  caused  his  ordinations  to  be  declared 
null  over  again.  Now  Plegmund,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, was  never  re-ordained  ;  and  yet  he  ordained  most  of 
the  bishops  in  England  for  twenty-six  years.  Hence,  the 
ordinations  of  Plegmund  were  null ;  and,  of  course,  run 
through  the  ordinations  of  the  English  Church  down  lo 
this  day. 

Stephen  Langton,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was 
ordained  in  1207,  by  Pope  Innocent  III,  who  deposed  John, 
king  of  England,  and  put  the  kingdom  under  an  interdict 
for  six  years. 

Boniface,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was  ordained  in 
1245,  at  Lyons,  by  Pope  Innocent  IV.  This  Boniface 
"used  all  means,  good  and  bad,  to  scrape  money  together, 
under  the  pretense  of  paying  the  debts  of  his  predecessors ; 
but  consumed  the  whole  in  war."  The  Pope  was  of  the 
same  character.  When  expostulated  with  for  his  evil  con- 
duct, especially  toward  England,  which  he  had  pillaged  by 
his  exactions,  he  declared,  "  By  Peter  and  Paul,  were  it  not 
for  our  inbred  generosity,  I  would  hurl  sucli  confusion  upon 
him,  that  his  folly  and  punishment  should  astonish  the 
world.  What !  is  not  the  king  of  England  our  vassal  ? 
Yea,  more,  even  our  bond  slave?  And  cannot  we,  by 
a  sovereign  nod,  imprison  him,  and  bind  him  in  his 
ignominy?" 

John  Peckham,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was  ordained 
in  1278,  by  Pope  Nicholas  III.    Platina,  the  Roman  Catho- 


236 


GENDINE  EPISCOPACY. 


[chap.  IX. 


lie  historian,  says,  "  That  Nicholas  took  away  by  violence 
the  castles  of  certain  noble  Romans,  and  gave  them  to  his 
own  relatives."  Hence,  to  enrich  his  relatives,  he  robbed 
others.  Peckham  had  scarcely  arrived  in  England,  when 
the  Pope,  his  creator,  as  he  called  him,  required  a  large 
sum  of  money  from  him,  namely,  four  thousand  marks. 
Thus  the  bishop  bought,  and  the  Pope  sold,  the  bishopric ; 
so  that  both  of  them  were  the  successors  of  Simon  Magus  ; 
but  let  any  one  judge  whether  they  were  the  successors  of 
Paul. 

In  the  year  1414,  Henry  Chichley  was  ordained  at  Sienna, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  by  Pope  Gregory  XH.  Now 
this  Gregory  was  one  of  the  three  pretenders  to  the  Papacy, 
and  was  deposed  by  the  Council  of  Constance,  and  John 
XXin  or  XXIV  kept  the  chair.  Yet  Chichley  received 
his  episcopal  succession  from  this  Gregory,  who  was 
neither  true  Pope  nor  true  bishop.  And  Chichley  con- 
tinued to  communicate  these  false  orders  to  the  English 
bishops  and  archbishops  for  twenty-nine  years,  and  that 
too  in  the  fifteenth  century. 

Either  the  Popes  or  the  Archbishops  of  Canterbury 
consecrated  all  the  Archbishops  of  York.  And  these  two 
archbishops  contaminated  all  the  bishops  of  their  provinces. 
The  English  bishops  traded  with  Rome  in  Simoniacal 
trafl[ick.  Sometimes  those  who  had  purchased  bishoprics, 
were,  by  a  fraudulent  clause  in  a  subsequent  bull,  thrown 
out  of  their  purchase.  It  was  then  sold  to  a  second,  and 
the  Pope  received  double.  John  of  Oxford,  Bishop  of 
Winchester,  paid  six  thousand  marks  to  the  Pope  for  his 
consecration,  and  the  same  sum  to  Jordan,  the  Pope's 
chancellor.  Greenfield,  Archbishop  of  York,  waited  two 
years  before  he  could  obtain  his  confirmation  and  consecra- 
tion from  the  Pope,  and  then  he  paid  nine  thousand  five 
hundred  marks  for  the  favor.  When  Moreton  became 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  he  compelled  his  clergy  to 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


237 


enable  him  to  pay  to  the  Pope  the  cost  of  his  translation  to 
that  see,  which  amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  pounds. 

The  incapacity  of  some  of  those  lord  bishops  was  ludic- 
rous. When  Beaumont  was  made  Bishop  of  Durham,  he 
was  so  illiterate  that  he  could  not  read  the  document  of  his 
consecration.  When  Thomas  Hatfield  was  ordained,  who 
was  a  young,  trifling  fellow,  without  knowledge,  gravity  or 
sincerity,  the  Pope  observed  to  some  who  thought  he  was 
not  fit,  "  If  the  king  of  England  had  asked  me  now  to  make 
an  ass  a  bishop,  I  would  not  have  refused  him  ! " 

That  all  bishops  were  solemnly  pledged  to  Rome  before 
the  Reformation,  is  evident  from  the  use  of  the  pall  and 
episcopal  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  Pope.  These  prove  the 
entire  subjection  of  all  bishops  to  him.  In  a  succession  of 
fifty  Popes,  not  one  pious  man  sat  on  the  throne.  There 
had  been  no  Popes  for  several  years  together,  and  at  other 
times  two  or  three  at  once.  Add  to  this,  the  Popes  and 
bishops,  both  wicked  and  irreligious,  bartered  with  each 
other  most  shamefully.  From  these  illegitimate  and  for- 
bidden sources  the  Church  of  England  received  her  ordi- 
nations ;  and  as  the  source  is  corrupt,  the  stream  must  also 
be  corrupt.  It  would  reduce  Christianity,  indeed,  to  a  low 
standard  to  require  its  heavenly  character  to  undergo  a 
genealogical  examen  through  such  ancestors  as  Popes  and 
apostate  bishops  up  to  Christ  its  divine  founder. 

3.  We  notice,  thirdly,  that  ordinations  in  the  Church 
of  England  arc  vitiated  or  nidi  in  various  ways. 

(1.)  According  to  their  own  jninciples,  ordination  is 
vitiated  in  the  Church  of  England  by  the  admission  into 
it  of  the  ordinations  of  presbyters  who  had  received  the 
same  from  other  presbyters. 

It  has  been  proved  by  many,  (see  Powell  on  Succession, 
p.  237,  New  York,)  that  the  early  British  Church  had  their 
ordination  through  presbyters. 

In  the  times  of  Elizabeth  many  presbyters,  ordained  on 


S38 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 


the  continent  of  Europe,  were  admitted  as  presbvters  in 
the  Church  of  England. 

Many  presbyters,  from  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scot- 
land, were  received  into  the  English  Church  in  the  identical 
relation  in  which  tliey  had  stood  in  the  Scotch  Church. 

Now,  these  ordinations  became  incorporated  with  the 
ordinations  in  the  English  Church  ;  and  if  they  were  invalid, 
then  the  element  of  invalidity  must  run  through  all  the 
ordinations  of  the  Church  of  England. 

(2.)  Tilt  episcojml  succession  of  the  Church  of  England 
ivas  interrupted  in  the  case  of  the  non-jurors  in  the  year 
1689.  For  the  Church  does  not  derive  her  succession 
through  bishops  or  clergy,  but  through  the  Parliament  and 
king;  and  their  boast  of  apostolical  succession  through 
bishops  is  utterly  incorrect,  because  their  succession  is 
regal  succession,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Popes  and 
prelates,  if  deemed  expedient,  but  by  any  other  instrumen- 
tality of  the  omnipotent  Parliament,  and  supreme  king  and 
queen,  if  this  other  instrumentality  suits  their  views  or 
policy  better.  The  case,  therefore,  of  the  non-jurors 
furnishes  instance  of  a  breach  in  the  succession  of  the 
English  Churcli,  by  prelates  or  bishops,  from  which  all 
the  wisdom  and  learning  of  her  wisest  sons  can  never  clear 
her. 

(3.)  The  English  succession  is  vitiated  by  its  connec- 
tion with  the  state.  The  power  of  the  Parliament  and 
king  interferes  constantly  with  the  proper  selections  for  the 
ministry,  and  the  supervision  of  them  while  in  it. 

(4.)  It  is  vitiated  by  the  want  of  Scriptural  regulations 
concerning  ordination  and  the  exercise  of  the  ministerial 
office.  In  selecting  ministers,  the  people  have  nothing  to 
do.  Neither  have  the  presbyters  or  pastors  any  voice  in 
the  selection.  The  bishop  alone  is  the  sole  judge.  This 
remark  applies  to  presbyters  and  deacons.  In  the  appoint- 
ment of  bishops  neither  clergy  nor  people  are  consulted. 


CHAP.  IX.l  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


239 


The  king  alone  fixes  on  the  man ;  except  that  through  a 
kind  of  courtesy,  he  commands  another  to  act  as  his  chap- 
lain in  consecrating  him. 

In  the  exercise  of  the  ministry,  little  attention  is  paid  to 
the  manner  in  which  its  sacred  duties  aie  discharged.  Hence 
pluralities,  sinecures,  and  inefficient  or  negligent  pastoral 
attention  mark  the  character  of  the  clergy  generally.  It  is 
true,  that  some  have  been  roused  to  more  diligence ;  but 
this  seems  to  be  owing  more  to  tlie  influence  of  Presbyterial 
ministers  around  them,  than  to  any  efficient  or  hearty 
endeavors  in  the  English  Church  itself. 

(5.)  Ordinations  in  the  Church  of  England  are  null  or 
void,  in  many  cases,  by  being  conferred  on  ineligible  per- 
sons ;  or  in  alloioing  those  persons  to  continue  in  the 
exercise  of  the  ministry  after  having  forfeited  their  minis- 
terial character.  Multitudes  of  heretics,  Simonists,  wicked 
men,  unconverted  men,  and  men  without  ministerial  graces, 
gifts  or  usefulness,  have  been  ordained  bishops,  presbyters 
and  deacons  successively  in  the  Church  of  England.  Now, 
as  all  such  were  ineligible  to  the  ministrj',  no  power  on 
earth  could  ordain  them.  Hence,  tlieir  ordinations  were 
null  from  the  beginning,  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence, 
nullity  adheres  to  them  and  their  successors. 

Besides,  many  after  having  forfeited  their  ministerial 
character  and  office,  like  Judas,  by  transgression,  remain 
still  accredited  bishops,  priests  and  deacons  of  the  English 
Church.  Hence,  their  office  is  void  by  divine  authority, 
and  all  such  can  have  no  right  whatever  to  minister  in 
holy  things. 

Thus  the  ordinations  of  multitudes  in  the  English  Church 
were  null  from  the  beginning;  and  the  authority  of  others 
ceased  when  they  became  wicked.  Hence,  the  ordinations 
of  all  such  are  invalid,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  far  as 
lawful  ordainers  are  concerned.  And  if  any  ordained  by 
them  are  lawful  ministers,  it  is  not  because  they  were 


240 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 


ordained  by  these  disabled  persons,  but  for  other  and  better 
reasons. 

Of  the  foregoing  cases,  both  of  nuUity  from  the  begin- 
ning in  ordinations,  and  of  nullity  in  consequence  of  the 
voidance  of  the  office,  innumerable  instances  could  be 
given,  did  our  limits  allow  it. 

Miserable,  indeed,  must  the  state  of  the  Christian  world 
be,  when  a  bishop  must  not  be  chosen  except  by  a  royal 
mandate  and  the  farcical  election  of  a  dean  and  a  chapter. 
And  still  more  deplorable,  when  wicked,  irreligious  and 
incompetent  men  are  recognized  as  the  ministers  of  Christ. 
And  yet  this  is  the  inevitable  dilemma  in  which  the  English 
Church  is  placed.  Her  system  of  succession  must  sanction 
all  sorts  of  vice  in  the  clergy  and  laity ;  and  this  it  has  done 
to  no  small  extent. 

The  succession  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States  will  claim  some  attention.  Against  its 
assumption,  in  reference  to  succession,  we  present  the  fol- 
lowing objections: 

1.  The  foundations  of  this  Church,  according  to  the 
doctrines  of  successionists,  were  laid  contrary  to,  or  with- 
out ecclesiastical  ride. 

At  the  American  Revolution,  the  connection  between  the 
colonies  and  the  Bishop  of  London,  their  diocesan,  was 
dissolved,  and  with  it  was  dissolved  the  English  Church 
in  America.  By  this  dissolution,  the  English  Church  in 
this  country  lost  its  supreme  legislative  council,  the  British 
Parliament.  It  lost  also  its  supreme  head,  the  English 
monarch.  It  was  also  deprived  of  its  bishop.  In  short, 
it  was  no  Church  according  to  their  principles.  From  1783 
to  1787,  they  had  no  bishop,  except  Mr.  Seabury,  a  part 
of  the  time,  and  his  authority  was  confined  to  Connecticut. 
It  was  no  earlier  than  1789  that  they  were  properly  organ- 
ized as  a  Church,  according  to  their  own  principles,  and  yet 
the  chief  acts  of  their  organization  took  place  before  their 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


241 


bishops  were  acknowledged  to  be  in  the  full  exercise  of 
their  episcopal  powers. 

According  to  the  acknowledged  principles  of  Protestant 
Episcopalians,  nothing  should  have  been  done  toward  organ- 
izing the  Church  until  the  episcopacy  was  obtained.  Agree- 
ably to  this,  the  Convention  of  New  Jersey,  petitioning  the 
General  Convention,  May  9th,  1786,  declare,  that  "  they 
doubt  the  right  of  any  order  or  orders  of  men  in  an  Episco- 
pal Church,  without  a  bishop,  to  make  any  alterations,  not 
warranted  by  immediate  necessity,  especially  such  as  not 
only  go  to  the  mode  of  its  worship,  but  also  to  its  doc- 
trines." (See  Memoirs  of  Prot.  Ep.  Church,  p.  358.) 
But  in  opposition  to  this  opinion,  the  doctrines  were  cer- 
tainly touched,  rites  and  ceremonies  also  were  altered,  and, 
indeed,  the  general  constitution  of  this  Church  was  essen- 
tially changed  before  any  bishop  was  admitted  into  their 
deliberations.  For  they  lost  their  supreme  ecclesiastical 
council,  the  Parliament,  and  substituted  in  its  place  a  very 
different  constitutional  standard.  They  lost  their  supreme 
head,  too,  and  put  none  in  his  place;  and  though  this 
change  was  for  the  better,  yet  still  it  was  a  change,  and  of 
a  vital  character.  It  was  no  sooner  than  1789  that  bishops 
first  began  to  participate  in  the  government  of  the  Church ; 
and  before  this  it  had  been  materially  altered  from  the 
Church  of  England. 

2.  The  English  Church  appears  to  us  to  have  commu- 
nicated to  the  Church  in  America  an  ordination,  unsound, 
defective  and  unscriptural.  We  object  to  this  ordination 
on  account  of, 

(I.)  The  character  of  the  supreme  power  that  granted 
it,  that  is,  the  British  Parliament,  composed  of  lords  spirit- 
ual and  lords  temporal,  in  one  house,  and  of  the  commons, 
in  the  other.  The  lay  members  are  made  up  of  Church  of 
England  men,  Dissenters,  Roman  Catholics  and  infidels. 
The  Parliament  is  a  civil  head,  and  a  foreign  power.  That 


242  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

the  Church  of  Christ  should  have  its  constitution  so  formed 
as  to  depend  on  an  act  of  the  legislature  for  authorizing  min- 
isters of  the  Church  to  officiate  in  holy  things,  is  absurd. 
The  English  prelates  could  not  act  without  the  authority 
of  Parliament ;  and  the  Episcopal  Church  in  America  could 
not  be  apostolically  constituted  till  the  British  prelates  would 
transmit  the  power  of  the  keys  to  them.  Thus  the  Ameri- 
can Church  is  forced  to  trace  up  her  power  to  the  British 
Parliament — which  the  discerning  and  judicious  will  not 
think  the  most  likely  source  of  apostolic  powers. 

(2.)  Our  next  objection  is,  that  the  power  of  ordination 
is  principally  vested  in  the  king  by  the  Parliament,  and 
derived  from  him  to  the  American  bishops.  This  appears 
obvious,  from  the  king's  license  being  requisite  before  any 
person  can  be  ordained.  Accordingly,  a  license  was  first 
granted  by  the  king,  before  Bishops  White  and  Provost 
could  be  ordained,  and  this  license  declares  that  the  Ameri- 
can bishops  derived  tlieir  authority  and  power  from  him. 
This  is  expressed  in  the  act,  and  the  forenamed  letter  of 
ordination  as  borrowed  from  it,  in  the  following  terms: 
"  Provided  always,  that  no  persons  shall  be  consecrated 
bishops  in  the  manner  herein  provided,  until  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  or  the  Archbishop  of  York,  for  the  time  be- 
ing, shall  have  first  applied  for  and  obtained  his  majesty's 
license,  by  warrant  under  his  royal  signet  and  sign  manual, 
authorizing  and  empowering  him  to  perform  such  consecra- 
tion." Here  the  king  authorized  and  empowered  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  to  ordain  Bishops  White  and 
Provost.  It  will  require  some  stretch  of  our  faith  to  be- 
lieve this  to  be  truly  apostolic.  Certainly  the  apostles  must 
have  been  in  very  straitened  circumstances  if  they  were 
under  the  necessity  of  having  recourse  to  this  method. 
That  the  change  of  time  and  circumstances  has  made  this 
a  justifiable  case,  will  not  be  easily  believed  by  any  person 
of  sober  reflection.    And  however  prudence  and  peculiar 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


243 


circumstances  may  allow  of  good  men  to  submit  to  such 
usages,  this  can  never  make  the  thing  right  in  itself,  and  it 
ought  to  teach  a  little  moderation,  at  least,  to  those  who  have 
had  recourse  to  such  methods  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
their  ministry  and  of  establishing  their  Church.  Such 
ought  to  be  slow  in  condemning  tlieir  fellow  Christians, 
who  think  that  the  authority  of  no  king  or  Pope  under 
heaven  is  necessary  to  authorize  duly  qualified  men  to 
preach  the  Gospel  and  administer  the  sacraments. 

(3.)  We  object,  furthermore,  to  the  defective  and  un- 
scriptural  ordination  received  by  the  American  Church 
from  the  English  bishops.  No  persons  deriving  their 
ordination  from  this  source  can  exercise  their  ministerial 
character  in  any  part  of  his  British  majesty's  dominions. 
The  act  of  Parhament  states,  and  tlie  letters  of  ordination 
received  by  the  American  bishops  copy  the  act,  under  which 
they  and  their  successors  have  proceeded  up  to  this  time, 
"that  neither  he  (Bishop  White)  nor  any  person  or  per- 
sons deriving  their  consecration  from  or  under  him,  nor  any 
person  or  pei-sons  admitted  to  the  order  of  deacon  or  priest 
by  him  or  his  successors,  shall  be  enabled  to  exercise  his  or 
their  respective  office  or  offices  within  his  majesty's  domin- 
ions." How  very  defective  is  this  ordination,  and  how 
contrary  to  the  commission  which  Christ  gave  to  his 
apostles !  This  extended  to  the  whole  world,  "  preach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  But  the  other  gives  them 
no  authority  to  preach  in  his  British  majesty's  dominions. 
In  the  primitive  Church,  wherever  the  providence  of  God 
cast  the  minister's  lot,  there  he  was  authorized  to  exercise 
his  ministry.  It  is  true  this  may  be  called  nothing  more 
than  a  political  restraint,  lest  the  Church  of  Endand  should 
be  affected  by  the  interference  of  foreign  clergy.  But  has 
it  come  to  pass  that  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  apostolically 
descended  too,  should  allow  Ctesar  to  curtail  the  original 
commission  with  which  Christ  empowered  his  ministers? 


244  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX> 

Did  the  first  preachers  of  Christ,  does  any  other  Church 
than  the  Protestant  Episcopal,  cordially  receive  and  tamely 
submit  to  such  a  curtailment  of  Christ's  commission?  Not 
one,  whether  Popish,  Protestant,  or  Oriental. 

As  ministers  of  the  Church  in  question  cannot  officiate 
in  Canada,  in  Britain,  in  the  East  or  West  Indies,  they 
would  certainly  be  entirely  disqualified  to  be  sent  to  any 
of  these  parts,  were  their  services  needed.  The  English 
Parliament  and  bishops  did  certainly  keep  back  a  part, 
when  they  granted  ordination  to  the  American  bishops. 
And  still  they  appear  to  follow  the  same  course.  Indeed 
they  could  not  do  otherwise,  unless  the  Parliament  should 
revoke  their  act  and  make  a  new  one.  When  Bishop 
Chase,  of  Ohio,  visited  England,  a  few  years  since,  he  was 
not  permitted  to  preach  or  perform  any  part  of  Divine  ser- 
vice in  any  church  in  that  kingdom.  The  same  thing  hap- 
pens when  any  other  visits  that  country.  When  Bishop 
Hobart  visited  Europe,  although  he  performed  Divine  ser- 
vice at  Rome,  in  the  British  consul's  chapel,  he  was  not 
privileged  to  do  so  in  England.  When  Bishop  M'llvaine 
recently  visited  England,  he  was  not  privileged  to  exercise, 
as  a  preacher  or  minister,  in  any  of  the  churches.  Even 
when  he  spent  the  Sabbath  at  an  obscure  country  church, 
he  was  not  allowed  to  take  any  part  in  the  public  worship 
as  a  minister;  for,  though  he  exhorted  in  a  gentleman's 
kitchen  on  Sabbath  evening,  where  he  spent  the  night,  this 
was  only  doing  what  a  layman  might  do,  and  as  the  Meth- 
odistic  gentleman  at  whose  house  he  staid,  was  in  the  habit 
of  doing  regularly  on  the  Sabbath  evening,  to  those  who 
attended  with  his  servants  and  family  in  the  place  just  men- 
tioned. A  clergyman  ordained  here  is  not  permitted  to 
enjoy  a  benefice  in  England,  and  seems  to  be  viewed  in  the 
same  light  that  other  dissenters  from  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land are  viewed. 

(4.)  We  remark,  in  the  next  place,  that  the  ordination 


CHAP.  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


245 


of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  contains  an  element 
which  destroys  its  validity.  The  element  is  that  just 
referred  to,  namely,  that  no  clergyman  of  any  order  in  this 
Church  can  exercise  his  ministry  in  any  place  under  the 
British  government.  Indeed  should  any  part  of  the  United 
States  come  under  the  British  government,  then  every 
minister  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  within  these 
bounds  would  be  deprived  of  his  ministry  the  moment  the 
transfer  took  place.  Their  ordination,  under  such  circum- 
stances, would  become  null  and  void;  and  under  its 
authority  a  man  would  have  to  submit  to  a  re-ordination,  or 
abandon  the  ministry  altogether.  Were  one  of  their  min- 
isters to  emigrate  to  Canada  or  to  Britain,  he  must  be 
re-ordained,  or  pass  into  the  ranks  of  laymen.  There  is 
nothing  which  more  completely  proves  invalidity,  than  the 
necessity  of  re-ordination.  This  Church  herself  has  settled 
Uiis  point;  for  when  Methodist  or  Presbyterian  ministers 
join  their  Church,  they  re-ordain  them,  because  they  deem 
their  ordination  invalid.  We  do  not  say  that  the  English 
bishops  pronounce  the  ordination  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  invalid;  but  they  have,  nevertheless,  conferred 
an  invalid  ministry  on  them,  and  treat  them  as  they  do  other 
dissenters.  Still  the  American  Church  has  the  greater  sin, 
m  their  reception  of  an  ordination  that  contained  the  element 
of  its  own  nuUity. 

3.  The  American  Church  does  not  derive  her  episcopacy 
from  England  alone,  but  in  part  from  the  non-juring 
bishops  of  Scotland.  These  ordained  Bishop  Seabury  in 
the  year  1784,  who  was  admitted  as  a  regular  bishop  in 
1789,  and  of  course  the  validity  of  his  ordination  was 
thereby  acknowledged. 

On  the  ground  assumed  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  we  may  properly  object  against  them,  the  admis- 
sion of  ordination  by  the  non-jurors,  because,  1.  The 
ordinations  of  non-jurors  were  not  acknowledged  by  the 
21* 


246 


GENUTNE  EPISCOPACY. 


[chap.  IX." 


Church  of  England,  and,  therefore,  agreeably  to  the  notion 
of  succession,  they  are  invalid.  2.  Still  Bishop  Seabury 
was  admitted  into  the  American  episcopacy,  and  indeed  was 
the  first  bishop  in  it.  3.  Although  the  American  Episco- 
palians did  not  seem  to  allow  his  ordination  to  be  valid, 
they,  notwithstanding,  received  it  as  valid,  for  prudential 
reasons  no  doubt.  4.  Here  is  an  evident  mixture  of  the 
alledged  true  succession  with  an  excommunicated  sect, 
thereby  furnishing  a  proof  of  the  folly  of  maintaining  this 
succession. 

There  is  abundant  proof  that  the  ordination  of  Bishop 
Seabury  was  properly  viewed  by  the  great  body  of  the 
English  and  Protestant  Episcopal  Churches  as  invalid,  or, 
at  best,  as  irregular.  In  the  convention  at  Philadelphia,  in 
1786,  the  question  of  the  Scottish  Episcopacy  was  warmly 
contested.  Its  irregularity,  and  even  invalidity,  were  main- 
tained vigorously  by  some,  but  the  subject  was  suppressed. 
Bishop  Provost  denied  the  validity  of  Bishop  Seabury's 
ordination,  and  continued  his  opposition  till  he  found  it 
entirely  useless  or  imprudent  to  do  so  any  longer.  Although 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  spoke  with  great  caution  on 
this  point,  he  certainly  did  not  consider  this  line  of  the 
succession  as  regular.  In  short,  the  great  body  of  Protes- 
tant Episcopalians  were  unwilling  to  risk  the  descent  of  the 
non-juring  sect;  and  the  reception  of  Bishop  Seabury  was 
waived,  until  the  fear  of  division  led  them  to  admit  of  his 
ordination  as  valid.  It  is,  however,  to  be  remarked,  that 
since  the  organization  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
the  laws  against  the  Scottish  bishops  have  been  repealed, 
and  they  have  been  received  into  fellowship  with  the  Eng- 
lish Church.  But  this  does  not  alter  the  case,  as  they 
were  under  the  ban  of  suspension  or  deprivation,  when  the 
American  succession  was  derived  from  them. 

4.  If  there  can  be  no  valid  ordination  without  the  suc- 
cession in  question^  then  certainly,  baptism,  which  is  a 


CHAP.  IX.3  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  247 

proper  act  of  the  ministry,  must  be  invalid  unless  per- 
formed by  a  person  rightly  descended  from  apostolic 
ancestors.  But  this  alone  would  overturn  the  succession. 
For,  on  the  principles  of  Protestant  Episcopalians,  a  man 
cannot  be  accounted  a  Christian  who  is  not  baptized ;  and 
not  to  be  baptized  by  a  properly  authorized  minister,  is  the 
same  as  not  to  be  baptized  at  all,  or  to  be  no  Christian. 
Now  bishops  and  clergymen  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  were  baptized  by  non-episcopal  ministers,  and 
therefore  they  were  unbaplized  in  reality ;  and,  consequently, 
thev  are  no  Christians,  and  therefore  no  ministers. 

5.  ^though,  in  the  judgment  of  charity,  the  various 
objections  brought  against  the  ordination  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  prove  it  to  be  defective  and  irregular, 
and  in  some  respects  invalid;  yet,  according  to  their  own 
principles,  these  defects  and  irregularities  prove  their 
ordination  to  be  entirely  invalid.  Tlieir  episcopacy  is  a 
commixture  of  the  English  Church  and  the  Scotch  non- 
jurors. It  is  the  most  defective  of  any  in  the  whole 
Christian  world,  in  consequence  of  the  anti-Scriptural 
limitation  which  is  an  elementary  part  of  its  composition. 
This  is  a  perfect  anomaly  in  the  Christian  world,  and  can- 
not be  reconciled  with  Scripture.  The  English  Parliament 
would  give  nothing  but  a  limited  commission.  The  English 
monaroh,  as  head  of  tlie  Cliurch,  could  authorize  and 
empoiver  the  English  bishops  to  do  no  more  than  the  act  of 
Parliament  enjoined.  And  as  to  the  English  prelates,  who 
ordained  the  first  American  bishops  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  they  could  confer  no  orders  of  themselves, 
except  in  the  manner  they  were  directed  to  do,by  the  Par- 
liament, and  licensed  to  do  by  the  special  permission  of  the 
king.  The  various  expedients  employed  to  obtain  the 
succession,  throw  a  vail  over  its  character  which  creates 
suspicion.  Recourse  is  had  to  the  English  bishops,  but 
they  could  do  nothing.     Then  the  Parliament  is  to  be 


248  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [cHAP.  IX. 

supplicated,  and  the  head  of  the  English  Church  must  be 
reconciled  to  the  measure.  Then  the  almost  defunct  non- 
juring  line  forms  the^rs^  and  principal  part  of  the  American 
succession.  Indeed,  some  say,  that  certain  bishops  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  were  applied  to  while  matters  were 
pending.  And,  moreover,  serious  steps  were  taken  to 
obtain  it  from  Denmark.  But  the  non-jurors  acted  more 
promptly  than  all  others ;  and  it  is  probable,  that  the  action 
of  the  British  government  was  hastened,  in  order  to  counter- 
act the  influence  of  even  the  obscure  non-jurors  of  Scotland. 
The  heart  of  an  unsophisticated  Christian  sickens  at  such 
superstition. 

We  will  conclude  our  remarks  on  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  by  observing,  that  were  its  members  and 
ministers  content  with  pluming  themselves  on  account  of 
their  imagined  succession,  we  would  leave  them  in  pos- 
session of  their  self-complaisance.  But  when  they  denounce 
and  declare  invalid  the  ministry  of  Presbyterians,  Baptists, 
and  Methodists,  and  profanely  have  recourse  to  re-ordination 
when  ministers  of  these  Churches  join  their  communion — 
when  they  pronounce  as  invalid  the  ministrations  of  men 
more  regularly  and  more  Scripturally  inducted  into  the 
ministry  than  themselves — when  they,  with  Popish  exclu- 
siveness,  call  themselves  the  Church,  and  deign  to  yield 
only  the  name  of  societies,  communions,  4'C.,  to  the  well 
organized  Churches  of  their  neighbors — when  they  place 
others  in  the  same  class  with  heathens,  leaving  them  to  the 
uncovenanted  mercies  of  God — when  such  high  preten- 
sions as  these  are  assumed,  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  say  in 
reply,  wherever  else  regular  ordination  can  be  found,  it  does 
not  exist  within  the  pale  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  It  is  true,  the  courtesy  of  others  has  recognized 
the  validity  of  their  ordination,  rejecting  or  overlooking 
their  trifling  or  superstitious  usages  concerning  order.  But 
were  we  to  institute  a  comparison  between  the  ordination 


CHAP.   IX.J  GENTJINE  EPISCOPACY.  249 

of  this  Cliurch  on  the  one  hand,  and  that  of  the  Presbyte- 
rians or  Methodists  on  the  other,  we  should  find  the  most 
material  points  of  the  comparison  would  be  against  the 
former,  and  in  favor  of  the  latter. 

III.  The  claims  of  Methodists  to  the  character  of  an 
apostolical  Church,  demand  a  few  pages  of  our  work. 

The  great  principle  of  Methodism,  like  primitive  Chris- 
tianity, is  to  do  good  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  men ;  for 
the  accomplishment  of  which  every  thing  else  is  subordinate. 
The  original  design  of  Methodism  was  not  to  form  a  new 
Church,  or  a  new  party  in  the  Church  of  England,  but  to 
reform  the  nation,  and  particularly  the  Church,  and  also  to 
spread  Scriptural  holiness  over  the  land.  Yet  the  Church 
of  England  refused  to  be  reformed  then ;  and  for  more  than 
one  hundred  years  she  has  withstood,  as  far  as  she  possibly 
could,  the  influence  of  Methodism ;  and,  therefore,  in  the 
place  of  becoming  thoroughly  reformed,  she  has,  as  already 
stated,  manifested  no  more  improvement  than  what  has 
actually  been  forced  upon  her.  When,  therefore,  Metho- 
dism, which  is  nothing  else  than  pure  Scriptural  Christianity, 
could  not  properly  reform  the  Church,  it  reverted  to  first 
and  Scriptural  principles,  in  doctrines,  morals  and  Christian 
institutions.  Archdeacon  Paley,  in  his  view  of  the  Evi- 
dences of  Christianity,  declares,  concerning  the  primitive 
Christians,  that  "perhaps  their  mode  of  life,  in  its  form  and 
habit,  was  not  very  unlike  the  Unitas  Fratrum,  or  modem 
Metliodists." 

In  proof  that  the  ordination  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  is  Scriptural  and  valid,  we  will  proceed  to  show 
briefly,  tliat  the  preachers,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Wesley, 
when  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized,  in 
1784,  possessed  the  qualifications,  exercised  the  powers, 
performed  the  duties,  met  with  the  success  of  Gospel 
ministers,  and  were  Scripturally  inducted  into  their 
office. 


250  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  [CHAP.  IX 

1.  The  Methodist  preachers  possessed  the  qualifications 
of  Gospel  ministers ;  because,  1.  None  that  were  known 
to  be  wicked,  immoral,  or  irreligious  were  admitted  into 
any  of  the  grades  by  which  they  could  become  minis- 
ters. 2.  In  candidates  for  the  ministry,  unequivocal  marks 
of  piety  and  experimental  religion  were  required  in  all 
cases  as  indispensable  qualifications;  and  persons  of  unde- 
cided or  doubtful  piety  were  rejected.  3.  Aptness  to  teach 
was  required,  and  also  necessary  attainments  in  knowledge, 
especially  in  divinity,  as  well  as  a  constant  pursuit  after 
knowledge  during  life,  4.  In  short,  the  qualifications 
required  by  the  following  passages  of  Scripture,  were 
always  and  are  now  looked  for  in  every  itinerant  preacher : 
1  Tim.  iii,  2-13;  Titus  1,  6-10.  5.  To  demand  from  the 
ministry  generally  collegiate  qualifications,  is  neither  Scrip- 
tural, primitive,  necessary,  nor  desirable;  because  (1.)  It 
shuts  many  men  of  the  very  best  qualifications  out  of  the 
ministry.  (2.)  It  is  the  means  of  admitting  many  with 
altogether  inadequate  qualifications.  (3.)  It  tends  to  sub- 
stitute the  less  necessary  for  the  indispensable  qualifications. 

2.  The  Methodist  preachers  exercised  the  powers  of 
ministers  of  the  Gospel.  1.  They  preached  the  Gospel, 
2.  They  presided  in  the  assemblies  of  the  people.  3. 
They  exercised  discipline,  by  admitting  persons  into  the 
Church,  excluding  the  unruly,  &c.  4.  They  were  presby- 
ters or  pastors  who  fed  the  flock. 

3.  The  Methodist  preachers  performed  the  duties  of 
ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

The  truth  of  this  declaration  is  obvious  to  any  who  know 
what  the  duties  of  Methodist  preachers  are.  Look  at  the 
twelve  rules  that  are  laid  down  to  guide  all  who  are 
admitted  into  the  Methodist  ministry;  and  also  the  regu- 
lations which  point  out  the  duties  of  preachers. 

4.  Methodist  preachers,  both  in  Europe  and  ^imerica, 
before  the  formal  organization  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY.  251 

pal  Church  in  1784,  as  well  as  after,  were  Scripturally 
appointed  or  ordained  to  the  ministry. 

Mr.  Wesley  was  once  a  High  Churchman,  but  on  mature 
consideration  renounced  his  principles  as  such.  In  1746, 
by  reading  Lord  King's  celebrated  work,  he  became  con- 
vinced that  elders  and  bishops  were  the  same  order  of 
clergy  in  the  primitive  Church.  In  1784,  just  thirty-eight 
years  afterward,  he  avows  the  same  opinion  in  his  letter  to 
the  American  Methodists,  and  he  practiced  on  it,  and  also 
died  in  its  belief. 

Mr.  Wesley  considered  himself  a  Scriptural  bishop,  and 
was  also  considered  such  by  his  preachers  and  people. 

He  also  regarded  his  preachers  as  Scriptural  presbyters; 
for  they  possessed  the  qualifications,  exercised  the  powers 
and  performed  the  duties  of  such.  Yet,  for  the  sake  of 
peace,  these  powers  in  some  respects,  were,  for  a  time, 
suspended. 

The  Wesleyan  Methodist  preachers  were  set  apart  or 
ordained  to  the  sacred  ministry;  though,  for  the  most  part, 
witliout  imposition  of  hands,  which  is  only  a  circumstance, 
and  cannot  enter  into  the  essence  of  ordination.  The  fol- 
lowing leading  parts,  necessary  to  a  Scriptural  ordination, 
■were  embraced  in  the  Wesleyan  connection  :  1 .  Improper 
persons  were  rejected.  2.  Those  duly  qualified  were 
chosen.  And  this  was  done,  3.  By  the  recommendation 
of  the  people.  4.  By  the  election  of  the  body  of  elders, 
presbyters,  preachers,  or  pastors,  who  fed  the  flocks.  5. 
After  a  proper  trial.  6.  And  by  a  formal  admission  into 
the  pastoral  oflice;  sometimes  with,  and  sometimes  without 
imposition  of  hands.  We  insist,  therefore,  that  the  appoint- 
ment of  Wesleyan  preachers,  with  or  without  imposition 
of  hands,  was  a  Scriptural  ordination. 

Ordination  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Cliurch  will  now 
deserve  some  notice. 

The  Methodist  societies  or  rather  Church,  in  tlie  United 


252 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


[chap.  IX. 


States,  in  consequence  of  their  entire  separation  from  the 
English  Church,  not  by  their  deed,  but  by  the  deed  of  that 
Church,  applied  to  Mr.  Wesley  to  provide  for  them,  accord- 
ing to  his  best  judgment,  a  plan  of  government  and  Church 
officers.  He  accordingly  complied  with  their  wishes,  and 
provided  for  them  in  the  way  he  judged  best  and  most 
Scriptural.  The  plan  is  well  known,  and  need  not  be 
repeated.    We  observe, 

1.  Mr.  Wesley  was  the  acknowledged  bishop,  overseer, 
superintendent  or  chief  presbyter,  in  the  whole  Wesleyan 
connection,  both  in  England  and  America.  There  was  no 
individual,  or  body  of  men,  to  whom  the  American  Meth- 
odists could  look  for  assistance  and  counsel,  beyond  them- 
selves, but  to  the  British  conference  and  Mr,  Wesley.  The 
Bishop  of  London,  in  whose  charge  America  was,  refused 
to  act;  nor,  indeed,  could  he  act  in  the  case.  He  refused 
to  ordain  for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  inasmuch 
as  he  could  not  ordain  for  them  until  Parliament  gave  the 
authority.  The  American  Methodists  could  not  apply  to 
the  Bishop  of  London  without  suffering  a  defeat,  just  as 
Mr.  Wesley,  Mr.  Seabury,  and  Messrs.  White  and  Provost 
had  done.  And  to  whom  could  the  Methodists  look  for 
aid  in  the  United  States?  They  could  not  apply  to  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church;  because,  1.  It  was  not  in 
existence.  2.  It  was  as  great  a  deviation  from  the  Church 
of  England  as  Methodism  was,  whether  in  Britain  or  the 
United  States.  3.  The  ordination  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  was,  (1.)  Null  and  defective  in  itself.  (2.) 
It  had  originated  in  a  wrong  source,  the  Parliament.  (3.) 
It  was  executed  by  the  wrong  ecclesiastic,  namely,  the 
king.  (4.)  And  it  Avas  administered  by  persons  unscrip- 
turally  appointed,  the  bishops  of  England,  who  were  made 
by  the  king,  without  the  consent  of  the  presbyters  or 
people. 

2.  The  American  Methodists,  both  preachers  and  people. 


CHAP.  IX.]  OENriNE  EPISCOPACY. 


253 


earnestly  requested  Mr.  Wesley  to  provide  for  them,  not 
only  in  regard  to  the  appointment  of  ministers,  but  in  the 
peculiar  organization  of  their  Church. 

3.  The  acts  of  Mr.  Wesley,  in  this  case,  were  duly 
recognized  by  the  American  preachers  and  people. 

4.  The  American  Methodists,  as  a  body,  have  subse- 
quently followed  Scripture,  and  the  primitive  Church  under 
the  guidance  of  Scripture. 

5.  Mr.  Wesley  was  providentially,  Scripturally  and 
ecclesiastically  called  to  ordain  for  the  American  Meth- 
odists. 

He  was  providentially  called  to  this  work,  as  the  father 
and  builder  up  of  the  Methodist  societies.  He  was  qual- 
ified for  the  work.  And  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case 
pointed  him  out,  and  no  other,  as  the  suitable  person  to  be 
the  leading  agent  in  the  work. 

He  was  Scripturally  appointed,  inasmuch  as  he  pos- 
sessed all  the  Scriptural  qualifications  for  such  a  work.  He 
followed  Scripture  throughout  the  whole ;  though  his  course 
was  frequently  in  opposition  to  the  provisions  of  the  Par- 
liamentary Church  of  England. 

He  was  ecclesiastically  called  to  this  episcopal  work. 
He  was  a  presbyter,  and,  therefore,  of  the  same  rank  as 
bishops,  with  regard  to  order.  He  was  chosen  or  recog- 
nized as  bishop,  overseer,  or  chief  presbyter,  by  the  body 
of  pastors  and  people  for  whom  he  acted.  ■  He  invaded  the 
rights  of  no  bishop,  body  of  presbyters,  or  body  of  people. 
He  was,  therefore,  called  to  act  in  accordance  with  Scrip- 
tural, ecclesiastical  rule :  not,  however,  for  the  Church  of 
England,  and  consequently  he  did  not  operate  for  them.  It 
is  out  of  place  for  Churclimen  to  object  against  us  the  want 
of  ecclesiastical  order;  because,  1.  They  have  little  or  no 
ecclesiastical  order  among  themselves  ;  for  they  cannot  call 
the  Parliament  a  Scriptural,  ecclesiastical  synod,  neither  the 
supremacy  of  the  king,  nor  the  appointment  of  their  bish- 
22 


254 


GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


[chap.  IX 


ops  Scriptural  regulations.  2.  The  Methodists  followed 
Scripture. 

The  position  can,  therefore,  be  amply  sustained,  that  Mr. 
"Wesley  was  providentially,  Scripturally  and  ecclesiastically 
called  upon  to  ordain  for  the  American  Methodists.  His 
ordination  of  Dr.  Coke  and  others,  was  rather  a  deviation 
from  modern  practice  than  from  the  usage  of  the  primitive 
Church. 

It  is  objected,  "  that  it  was  absurd  for  Mr.  Wesley,  as  a 
presbyter,  to  ordain  a  bishop."  To  this  we  reply,  1.  That 
bishops  and  elders,  or  presbyters,  according  to  Scripture, 
are  of  the  same  order.  2.  Mr.  Wesley  never  did  ordain 
such  bishops  as  our  objectors  call  by  this  name,  neither  did 
he  even  approve  of  them.  Indeed,  he  preferred  to  be  called 
by  any  ignominious  name  rather  than  a  European  or  Brit- 
ish bishop. 

It  is  also  objected,  "  that  it  was  absurd  for  Mr.  Wesley, 
as  a  clergyman  in  the  Church  of  England,  to  ordain  in  any 
form,  without  formally  separating  from  that  Church,  and 
formally  disavowing  her  authority."  We  explain  this  as 
follows : 

The  Church  of  England  had  no  discipline  to  bear  on  Mr. 
Wesley's  case,  or  they  had  not  virtue  enough  to  exercise  it, 
or  perhaps  both  together;  as  Mr.  Wesley  attended  to  the 
order  of  the  Church  with  more  punctuality  than  most  of 
her  ministers.  If  they  had  no  discipline  to  bear  on  his 
case,  then  he  could  not  break  their  laws,  as  they  did  not 
exist ;  and  they,  as  a  Church,  have  little  claims  to  apostol- 
icity,  when  schismatics,  like  Mr.  Wesley  and  the  Metho- 
dists, were  permitted  to  live  and  die  within  her  very  pale 
without  censure  or  expulsion.  If  they  had  a  discipline,  but 
had  not  vigilance  or  virtue  enough  to  enforce  it,  then  they 
permitted  the  sacred  walls  of  the  Church  to  be  broken 
down,  and  were  not,  therefore,  the  proper  successors  of 
apostles  and  primitive  Christians.    Those  of  the  clergy 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENUINE  EPISCOPACY. 


255 


and  people  who  had  any  regard  for  religion  would  not  inter- 
fere with  the  Methodists.  The  worldly  interests  of  the 
others  were  not  molested,  because  the  Methodists  left 
tliem  in  possession  of  their  benefices.  Besides,  Mr.  Wes- 
ley was  no  ordinary  man  to  meet  in  conh-oversy  or  Churcli 
process.  The  sturdiest  sons  of  the  English  Church  quailed 
under  the  weight  of  his  arguments  and  the  spirit  with 
which  he  spake.  They,  therefore,  could  not  meet  him, 
seeing  he  had  Scripture,  truth,  righteousness,  antiquity, 
unremitting  industry,  and  powerful  coadjutors,  on  his  side. 

The  Methodists  in  America,  by  renouncing  the  Church 
of  England  and  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  did  not 
depart  from  tlie  principles  and  discipline  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament. They  only  rejected  unscriptural  principles  and 
polity.  In  the  disciplinary  regulations  M'hich  they  adopted, 
they  simply  received  the  pure  principles  of  Church  polity, 
and  nothing  else,  such  as  the  following :  that  wicked  per- 
sons are  not  to  be  admitted  as  members  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  or  continued  in  it;  that  wicked  men  are  not  eligible 
to  the  ministerial  office ;  that  ministers  should  be  experi- 
mentally and  practically  pious  or  religious ;  that  they  should 
possess  ministerial  qualifications ;  that  the  precepts  of  holy 
living  are  to  be  enjoined  and  enforced  on  Church  members; 
that  the  pious  ought  to  have  the  privilege  of  approval  or 
recommendation  of  their  spiritual  pastors;  and  that  the 
body  of  presbyters  possess  the  supreme  ecclesiastical 
power  to  regulate  Church  matters,  according  to  Scripture, 
whether  that  power  be  inherent  in  their  office  or  received 
from  the  people,  or  both.  These  and  kindred  principles 
the  Methodists  have  adopted  from  holy  Scripture ;  and  they 
have  carried  them  out  practically  in  their  excellent  disci- 
pline, both  in  Europe  and  America. 


256 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


[chap.  X. 


CHAPTER  X. 

REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA 

In  the  two  preceding  chapters,  we  have  noticed  the 
character,  duties,  and  labors  of  a  Methodist  Bishop,  as  well 
as  his  Scriptural  claims  to  the  office  of  superintendent  or 
overseer  in  tlie  Church  of  God.  The  succession  in  general 
was  also  considered,  and  the  exclusive  claims  of  the  Popish, 
Anglican  and  American  prelates  examined,  and  shown  to  be 
unsound  and  inconsistent  in  themselves,  unauthorized  by 
the  word  of  God,  and  injurious  to  the  welfare  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  producing  tyranny,  forming  causes  of  schism, 
and  countenancing  heresies  and  unsound  moral  discipline. 
It  was  also  seen  that  Methodist  episcopacy,  or  superinten- 
dency,  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  Popish  or  Anglican 
prelacy,  or  the  heterogeneous  admixture  of  the  so  called 
episcopacy  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  We 
showed,  likewise,  that  episcopacy  and  prelacy  are  essentially 
different  in  their  origin,  authority,  duties  and  consequences. 
We  shall  now  proceed  with  our  narrative,  and  consider 
Bishop  Roberts  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  Superin- 
tendent in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

When  appointed  to  any  office,  he  prayed  frequently  and 
fervently  to  Almighty  God  for  direction,  and  for  grace  to 
guide  and  aid  liim.  On  his  election  to  the  episcopacy,  he 
was  greatly  perplexed,  as  already  stated,  but  by  the  timely 
counsel  of  his  early  instructor,  the  Rev.  James  Quinn,  and 
in  answer  to  devout  and  submissive  prayer,  his  mind  was 
relieved,  and  he  consented  to  enter  on  the  onerous  duties 
of  the  office,  great  as  the  cross  was,  and  to  endeavor  to 
discharge  those  duties,  though  it  might  be  with  fear  and 
trembling.  It  was  his  peculiar  temperament,  to  pursue 
with  steady  and  untiring  perseverance  whatever  he  under- 
took, without  even  the  appearance  of  zeal,  or  any  movement 


CHAP.  X.] 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


257 


that  would  create  the  least  noise,  or  attract  the  gaze  of  pub- 
lic attention  to  his  course.  He  was  always  silent,  except 
when  compelled  to  speak ;  he  was  in  the  rear  and  shade, 
except  when  thrust  out  into  observation ;  he  prefei-red  every 
person  to  himself,  except  when  his  official  duties  required 
him,  as  by  a  kind  of  necessity,  to  become  leader  and  take 
the  seat  of  office. 

On  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  after  the  session  of  the 
General  conference  at  Baltimore,  in  May,  1816,  where  he 
was  elected  and  ordained  Bishop,  Mrs.  Roberts  inquired  of 
him  what  course  he  intended  pursuing  with  regard  to  her. 
He  replied,  that  she  might  choose  one  of  three  things: 
either  reside  in  Philadelphia  or  east  of  the  mountains,  or 
else  travel  with  him,  or,  lastly,  reside  at  Shenango  on  their 
own  farm.  It  was  necessary  that  these  three  propositions 
should  be  prayerfully  and  mutually  considered.  Altliough 
addressed  to  her  with  the  intention  of  leaving  her  to  her 
own  choice,  yet  the  interests  of  the  Church,  involved  in 
the  decision,  called  for  the  most  deliberate  examination  and 
conclusion  of  both  of  them. 

The  first  question  was,  shall  we  reside  in  Philadelphia, 
or  east  of  the  mountains?  Here  the  subject  of  pecuniary 
resources  came  up.  Bishops  Asbury,  M'Kendree,  and 
Whatcoat  were  all  single  men,  and  eighty  or  a  hundred 
dollars,  with  allowance  for  their  traveling  expenses,  con- 
stituted their  support.  The  leading  preachers,  too,  in  the 
Church,  liad  been  single  men.  Thus  episcopal  and  clerical 
single  life  among  the  leading  preachers,  had  shaped  minis- 
terial support  merely  to  suit  the  pressing  wants  of  unmarried 
men  while  efficient,  leaving  sickness  and  old  age  to  depend 
on  charity  or  fortuitous  circumstances.  •  As  a  matter  of 
course,  the  married  preachers  received  litde  more  than  the 
single  ones,  and  when  they  did  receive  any  thing  extra,  it 
was  considered  as  an  unnecessary,  or  a  prodigal  expenditure. 
And  such  were  the  unpleasant  circumstances  attending  the 
22* 


258 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


[chap.  X. 


forced  supplies  of  married  preachers,  that  most,  as  already- 
stated,  of  the  men  of  independence  and  worth  prefen-ed 
locating,  to  being  met  in  every  direction  with  repulse  or 
disparagement.  It  is  true,  that  the  General  conference  of 
1816,  ordained  that  "  the  book  agents,  in  conjuction  with  the 
book  committee,  in  New  York,  be  authorized  to  estimate 
the  sum  requisite  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of  the 
Bishops'  families,  for  which  they  shall  be  authorized  to  draw 
on  the  editor  and  general  book  steward."  (Bangs'  History, 
volume  iii,  page  53.)  But  then  custom  had  already  decided 
this  question  so  far  as  to  render  the  acceptance  of  the  appro- 
priation a  thing  out  of  order,  and  a  kind  of  innovation  on 
former  usage.  And  it  is  probable  that  Bishop  Roberts  did 
not  avail  himself  of  this  provision  earlier  than  the  year 
1819.  Two  hundred  dollars  and  his  traveling  expenses, 
composed  the  utmost  that  they  could  expect  to  receive  from 
the  Church.  With  such  an  allowance,  they  could  not 
reside  in  any  of  the  eastern  cities,  or  in  fact  in  any  city, 
unless  it  was  done  in  dependence  on  their  own  private 
resources.  These  were  small,  amounting  to  a  cabin  and 
some  land  very  little  improved,  and  now  so  much  neglected 
by  their  long  absence,  that  it  would  scarcely  rent  for  the 
taxes.  It  is  true,  there  were  those  in  some  of  the  eastern 
cities,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  and  in  whose  estima- 
tion he  stood  high,  that  would  probably  have  assisted  them. 
But  then  this  was  an  uncertain  provision,  and  could  not  be 
depended  on,  so  as  to  justify  him  in  contracting  the  debt  of 
house-rent  and  family  expenses.  Besides,  this  mode  of 
living  did  not  suit  the  views  and  feelings  of  independency 
which  they  had  imbibed  in  early  life,  and  had  cherished  and 
practiced  down  to  the  present  period  of  their  history. 
Residing  east  of  the  mountains  was,  therefore,  mutually 
abandoned, 

It  was  next  inquired,  shall  we  travel  together?  Tliis, 
too,  was  canvassed,  and  had  its  difficulties.    It  would  be 


CHAP.  X.]  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  259 

scarcely  practicable  for  a  female,  naturally  retiring  in  her 
habits,  to  keep  pace  with  a  Methodist  Bishop.  To  say  the 
least,  it  could  not  be  done  with  comfort.  An  unwelcome 
visit,  too,  might  be  made  by  the  Bishop's  wife,  where  it 
was  not  expected,  and  the  plan,  moreover,  was  not  in  keep- 
ing with  their  spirit  of  independence.  It  was,  therefore, 
set  aside. 

Their  determined  choice  was,  or  rather  the  necessity  of 
their  case  compelled  them,  to  repair  to  their  old  cabin,  on 
the  land  which  he  had  located  just  twenty  years  previous. 
Here  they  could  be  independent.  And  if  they  had  priva- 
tions and  difficulties,  they  had  them  to  themselves,  and 
were  not  exposed  to  the  public  gaze  of  a  city,  or  the  inspec- 
tion of  wealthy  friends  or  visitors.  Here,  loo,  they  could 
be  on  a  perfect  equality  with  their  neighbors.  Their  house 
or  cabin,  their  furniture,  and  all  their  household  utensils, 
were  as  good  as  any  in  the  settlement.  If  Mrs.  Roberts 
must  spin,  and  weave,  and  make  garden,  and  feed  poultry 
occasionally,  all  her  neighbors  did  the  same  things.  And 
if  Mr.  Roberts,  in  any  spare  time  at  home,  must  plough, 
and  make  rails,  and  work  hard,  the  rest  of  his  neighbors 
did  so  likewise.  Moreover,  the  landlord  could  not  ask  rent 
for  his  house,  for  the  cabin  was  his  own.  The  carpet  ven- 
der and  cabinet-maker  could  not  crave  of  him  the  settlement 
of  their  bills,  as  he  needed  nothing  in  their  line,  and  con- 
tracted no  debts  in  their  establishments.  Besides,  a  bed- 
stead, good  enough  for  the  Bishop  and  his  lady,  had  been 
made  in  less  than  one  day  by  the  Bishop's  own  hand,  and 
on  it  they  could  repose  sweetly,  except  when  occasionally 
interrupted  by  the  drippings  from  the  leaky  roof;  but, 
then,  these  were  mostly  caught  by  the  sugar-troughs  in  the 
loft. 

Before  their  consultation  was  ended,  their  hearts,  warmed 
by  the  spirit  of  independence,  beat  high  for  Shenango. 
Their  spring  still  flowed,  pure  and  fresh  as  ever;  their 


260  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  [cHAP.  X 

double  cabin  was  still  standing  in  its  nistic  beauty ;  and  the 
few  neglected  acres  could  soon  be  made  to  assume  a  flour- 
ishing aspect.  A  few  domestic  fowls,  and  three  or  four 
domestic  animals,  would  supply  many  of  their  necessary 
wants.  Their  course  was  fixed,  and  Shenango  was  their 
destination. 

They  purposed  to  set  out  for  the  west  from  Baltimore, 
to  which  place  Mrs.  Roberts  went  by  water  from  Philadel- 
phia. Mr.  Roberts  and  his  nephew,  little  George,  went  on 
horse-back,  the  former  riding  on  a  saddle  and  the  latter  on 
a  blanket. 

At  Baltimore,  the  friends  procured  for  him  Bishop  As- 
bury's  carriage  and  traveling  trunk.  His  two  horses  were 
harnessed  and  put  to  the  carriage,  in  which  they  all  three 
traveled,  taklfig  along  with  them  as  much  clothing  and  bed- 
clothes as  they  could.  They  proceeded  on  their  journey 
without  difficulty.  When,  however,  they  came  to  the 
mountains,  the  road  was  then  newly  graded  for  a  turnpike, 
but  was  uncovered  with  the  stone  metal.  At  the  first  moun- 
tain ascent  they  came  to,  the  mud  was  very  deep  in  some 
places.  Mrs.  Roberts  and  little  George  had  to  get  out  in 
very  bad  places  and  walk.  Having  done  this  at  one  place, 
where  the  road  was  unusually  muddy,  and  having  gained 
the  summit  of  the  hill  by  a  direct  foot-path,  as  the  main 
road  wound  around,  she  sat  down  to  wait  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Roberts.  He  walked  along  driving  his  horses.  Long 
boots,  long  stockings  and  breeches,  were  then  the  clerical 
fashion  of  tlie  times.  The  horses  and  carriage  got  liter- 
ally fastened  in  the  mud.  He  put  his  shoulder  to  the 
wheel,  pushed  with  all  his  might,  gave  the  word  of  com- 
n>and  to  the  horses,  and  the  carriage  moved  upward.  By 
this  mode  of  procedure  he  gained  the  point  where  his  part- 
ner was.  She  had  watched  his  operations  with  feelings  of 
commiseration,  yet  still  she  could  not  avoid  smiling  on 
seeing  him  fairly  bespattered  with  mud  from  head  to  foot. 


CHAP.  X.3 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


261 


The  mud  had  even  run  over  the  tops  of  his  boots,  and  here 
and  there  on  his  person  were  very  large  smearings.  On  his 
arrival  at  the  top  of  the  mountain,  she  exclaimed,  with 
some  pleasantry,  "  You  are  a  pretty  looking  Bishop  now." 

On  going  down  Laurel  Hill,  west  of  Fort  Ligonier,  they 
found  the  road  was  still  rough ;  and  while  she  was  making 
the  best  of  her  way  on  foot,  choosing  her  steps  down  the 
shelving  rocks  and  steep  slopes,  and  while  he  was  engaged 
in  driving,  at  the  same  time  walking  and  balancing  the  car- 
riage so  as  to  keep  it  from  overturning,  her  band-box  fell 
out,  and  the  wheels  passed  over  it,  crushing  it  completely, 
and  injuring  materially  her  caps,  bonnet  and  other  articles. 
When  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  the  band-box  was  mis- 
sing, which  furnished  him  an  opportunity  of  returning  for 
it.  The  fate  of  the  band-box  served  as  a  pretty  good  off- 
set for  the  previous  muddy  rencountre  in  ascending  the 
mountain. 

They  arrived  in  safety  at  Shenango.  The  Bishop  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Natchez  conference.  She  accompanied  him 
to  Cadiz,  and  then  returned  and  lived  with  Nancy  M'Gran- 
ahan,  his  sister,  till  spring.  He  traveled  on  horse-back  to 
Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  continued  his  travels  till  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  when  he  arrived  at  home.  He  was  sick 
among  the  Indians,  as  he  took  the  fever  and  ague  on  the 
Mississippi.  At  Port  Gibson,  he  lay  three  or  four  weeks 
dangerously  ill.  His  fare  among  the  Indians  was  mostly 
sour  hommony.  At  first,  when  passing  througli  tlieir  coun- 
try, they  charged  him  high  for  ferriage,  even  as  much  as 
two  dollars  on  some  occasions.  But  on  learning  that  he 
was  a  chief,  they  let  him  go  free. 

Mrs.  Roberts,  early  in  the  spring,  and  before  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Roberts,  came  to  the  determination  to  reside  in  their 
own  cabin.  As  the  clap-boards  were  old,  the  roof  needed 
repair.  The  neighbors  kindly  offered  their  aid,  and,  as  was 
the  custom,  laid  the  roof  anew,  by  adding  some  new  clap- 


262  HEMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  [CHAP.  X. 

boards  to  such  of  the  old  as  were  still  good,  turning  the 
best  end  outside.  In  heavy  rains,  however,  as  already- 
stated,  the  water  would  find  its  way  between  them.  On 
the  first  night  after  the  Bishop's  return,  he  was  very  much 
wet  in  bed,  and  shook  tlie  following  day  with  the  ague. 
Further  repairs  were  made  to  the  roof;  but  it  was  still  far 
from  being  water-proof.  Having  come  to  the  conclusion  to 
remove  to  Indiana,  he  neither  built  a  better  house,  nor 
repaired  the  old  one,  further  than  to  adjust  the  clap-boards 
occasionally.  Nor  was  it  at  all  remarkable,  that  he  lived  in 
so  leaky  a  tenement,  as  all  his  neighbors  were  in  the  same 
condition,  and  it  was  considered  a  thing  of  course. 

Here  we  would  remark,  that  we  have  no  journal  of  Bishop 
Roberts'  travels.  He  wrote  nothing  of  the  kind  himself, 
and  consequently  we  have  nothing  from  him,  except  the 
brief  narrative,  already  alluded  to,  written  by  Dr.  Simpson, 
and  reaching  from  his  birth  to  the  year  1808,  or  to  the  sixth 
year  of  his  ministry.  After  this  period,  we  have  no  written 
documents  to  rely  on.  The  annual  minutes  do  not  say 
what  Bishops  attend  the  conferences,  nor  always  at  what 
time  and  place  the  conferences  sit.  It  is  true,  that  at  the 
end  of  the  minutes  of  each  conference,  it  is  said  when  and 
where  the  following  session  shall  be  held;  but  then  changes 
have  sometimes  been  made  in  the  time,  and  thus  great 
uncertainty  is  thrown  around  the  precise  date.  And  very 
little  can  be  gained  from  the  proceedings  of  conferences,  as 
published  in  our  periodicals,  for  they  do  not  say  much 
concerning  the  movements  of  the  Bishops  that  would  be 
appropriate  for  a  narrative  of  their  lives.  Had  we  a  detailed 
account  of  the  travels  of  Bishop  Roberts,  especially  his 
journeyings  in  the  western  frontier,  similar  to  the  interesting 
narratives  which  Bishop  Morris  gave  of  his  tour  from 
St.  Louis  to  Texas,  it  would  doubtless  furnish  us  with 
a  number  and  variety  of  the  most  thrilling  events.  Bat 
Bishop  Roberts  kept  no  such  journal.    This  will  form  i 


CHAP.  X.] 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


263 


chasm  in  the  history  of  his  life,  which  no  human  art  can 
fill  up. 

But  even  this  is  an  incident  of  his  life.  His  means  of 
information  in  literature,  while  young,  were  very  small. 
To  compose,  at  that  day,  formed  no  part  of  a  common 
education,  as  the  great  mass  were  not  supposed  to  need  the 
art  of  expressing  their  thoughts  clearly  and  forcibly  on 
paper.  This  was  considered  the  privilege  only  of  the  few 
literati.  Neither  did  Bishop  Roberts,  in  after  life,  apply 
himself  to  composition  with  the  view  of  transmitting  his 
thoughts  to  posterity,  though  his  attainments  by  reading 
were  highly  respectable,  and  his  acquisitions  by  experience 
and  observation,  guided  by  his  native  prudence  and  large 
mind,  were  very  superior  indeed.  His  great  error  was, 
that  he  believed  he  could  never  succeed  in  this.  But  prac- 
tice would  have  made  him  perfect;  as  is  almost  invariably 
the  case.  Cultivating  the  art  of  composition,  and  transmit- 
ting to  posterity  the  incidents  of  an  eventful  life,  is  a  debt 
that  leading  men  owe  to  the  present  and  rising  generations. 
And  should  the  present  limited  narrative  ever  reach  those 
who  sit  at  the  helm  of  our  ecclesiastical  affairs,  we  hope 
they  will  be  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  chronicling  the 
events  of  their  day,  for  the  benefit  of  posterity.  If  they 
will  not  do  this,  others  will  do  it  for  them  imperfectly,  or 
falsely,  or  perhaps  maliciously.  It  is  right  and  important, 
therefore,  that  they  should  testify  for  themselves  what  they 
have  seen,  heard,  or  know,  and  not  permit  either  true,  false, 
or  suborned  witnesses  to  say  what  they  please  concerning 
them.  We  must  slightly  find  fault  with  Bishop  Roberts 
for  his  negligence,  or  rather  mistake ;  while  we  desire  to 
apologize  for  him,  in  consequence  of  his  want  of  early 
opportunities,  and  also  his  great  modesty  and  humility, 
which  rendered  it  an  intolerable  cross  for  him  ever  to  say 
any  thing  of  his  own  performances,  that  would  tend  to  make 
him  prominent  in  the  eyes  of  either  the  Church  or  the 


264  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  [cHAP.  X. 

world —  a  feature  not  always  visible  in  the  character  of  dis- 
tinguished individuals. 

In  the  fall  of  1817,  he  and  Mrs.  Roberts  visited  Indiana, 
and  returned  in  the  winter  to  Shenango.  His  brother, 
Lewis,  to  whom  he  was  strongly  attached,  had  purchased 
land  and  moved,  if  we  are  rightly  informed,  to  that  state. 
The  Bishop,  too,  had  made  a  small  purchase  of  wild  land 
in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  had  determined  to  make  this 
country  his  future  residence. 

He  hunted  considerably  this  winter  while  at  home;  and 
as  usual  met  with  no  small  degree  of  success.  A  recurrence 
to  his  former  favorite  pursuit  seemed  to  delight  him  greatly, 
and  he  enjoyed  an  occasional  hunt  as  much  as  at  any  former 
time. 

The  ague  still  remained  on  him,  and  he  had  also  an  attack 
of  the  jaundice.  But  his  strong  constitution  resisted  their 
force,  and  he  was  enabled  faithfully  to  follow  up  hia 
appointments. 

In  the  winter,  probably  toward  the  close,  he  visited  the 
Virginia  conference.  In  his  travels  this  year,  he  lay  out 
a  whole  night,  and  held  his  horse  by  the  bridle  to  prevent 
him  running  away.  It  is  hard  to  account  for  this,  unless 
we  attribute  it  to  his  extreme  diffidence,  which  often  pre- 
vented him  from  enjoying  the  comforts  of  life,  or  to  his 
want  of  money  to  bear  his  expenses  ;  rather  than  make  his 
circumstances  known,  he  would,  as  he  often  did,  lie  out  all 
night,  when  almost  any  one  would  have  entertained  him 
gladly.  Besides,  such  was  the  benevolence  of  his  heart, 
that  he  has  been  known  to  give  his  funds  for  charitable  pur- 
poses, and  when  all  exhausted,  he  would  suffer  hunger  or 
any  other  privation  rather  than  be  considered  troublesome 
in  the  least  degree  to  his  acquaintances  and  friends. 

It  was  while  going  to  one  of  the  southern  conferences,  in 
1818,  that  the  famous  occurrence  took  place,  which  has 
again  and  again  gone  the  rounds  of  the  papers,  under  the 


CHAP.  X.]  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  265 

title  of  "Bishop  Roberts  and  the  young  preacher.''^ 
Sometimes  it  has  been  referred  to  Bishop  George ;  but  this 
is  a  mistake,  Bishop  Roberts  being  the  traveler  alluded  to. 
The  accounts  concerning  it  have  been  very  much  exagger- 
ated, and,  moreover,  one  account  by  no  means  agrees  with 
another ;  but  that  it  was  a  real  occurrence  is  certain,  as  he 
frequently  related  it  to  the  members  of  his  family,  and 
some  other  intimate  friends.  He  never  would  reveal 
the  name  of  the  young  preacher,  for  he  esteemed  him  as 
an  excellent  man.  The  preacher  became  eminent  among 
his  brethren ;  and  the  event  itself  made  an  impression  on 
his  mind  which  he  never  forgot.  We  will  not  venture  to 
give  the  particulars  of  the  incident,  as  the  precise  account 
cannot  be  now  collected  from  any  authentic  source  within 
our  reach. 

In  January,  1818,  Mrs.  Roberts  traveled  on  horse-back 
from  Shenango  to  Alexandria,  where  she  met  the  Bishop. 
She  expected  to  have  had  company,  but  was  disappointed. 
She  met,  however,  a  preacher  at  Bedford,  Pennsylvania, 
who  rode  along  with  her  to  Alexandria.  She  was  not  to  be 
deterred  from  her  purpose  by  trivial  causes.  She  next 
went  with  the  Bishop  to  the  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia 
conferences,  taking  York  in  their  way,  to  which  place  he 
returned  with  her:  she  then  traveled  in  company  with  a 
young  man  and  woman  to  Pittsburg,  riding  one  horse 
and  leading  another.  On  the  horse  she  rode,  she  also  had 
a  pack,  and  on  the  one  she  led  was  another  pack,  quite 
large,  placed  on  a  pack-saddle.  These  packs  consisted 
of  the  remainder  of  their  clothing  and  books,  which  could 
not  be  conveyed  before,  together  with  some  presents  in 
clothing,  that  their  friends  in  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia 
had  bestowed  on  them.  At  times  she  led  the  horse  with  a 
line  attached  to  his  bridle,  he  following  the  one  she  rode. 
When  tired  of  this  mode,  she  would  drive  him  before ;  but 
this  was  attended  with  some  inconvenience,  as  he  would 
23 


266  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  [CHAP.  X. 

occasionally  run  off  the  path,  and  then  she  was  compelled 
to  gallop  after  him  in  order  to  turn  him  into  the  right  way 
again.  She  traveled  alone  from  Pittsburg  to  Shenango,  a 
distance  of  nearly  eighty  miles.  No  misfortune  befell  her, 
except  that  she  was  once  thrown  from  her  horse,  but  was 
not  injured  by  the  fall. 

The  Bishop  proceeded  on  horse-back  to  the  New  York, 
New  England  and  Genesee  conferences.  On  his  way 
home,  where  he  arrived  in  July,  he  traveled  a  new  route, 
which  was  through  the  Genesee  Flats,  and  subsisted  for 
three  days  on  blackberries.  We  suspect  his  money  again 
ran  out;  and,  as  usual,  his  extreme  backwardness  prevented 
him  making  his  wants  known.  He  also  attended  the  Ohio 
conference  this  year,  which  sat  in  Steubenville,  August  7th, 
1818. 

In  1819,  he  fully  concluded  to  move  from  Shenango 
to  Lawrence  county,  Indiana.  His  leading  reasons  for  so 
doing  were  the  following,  as  far  as  we  can  learii : 

He  was  not  very  well  pleased  with  the  soil  and  climate 
of  Mercer  county,  after  he  had  become  acquainted  with  In- 
diana and  other  parts  of  the  then  far  west.  The  soil  and 
climate  of  the  southern  part  of  Indiana  pleased  him  much 
better.  As  he  had  a  taste  for  agriculture  and  retired  life,  he 
supposed  that  Indiana  would  suit  him  exceedingly  well. 

His  brother,  Lewis,  had  already  moved  there,  and,  as 
before  stated,  he  was  most  fondly  attached  to  him,  and, 
consequently,  desired  to  live  near  him,  not  only  for  his 
society,  but  also  to  avail  himself  of  his  watch-care  over  his 
own  temporal  concerns  when  he  was  from  liome. 

He  had,  also,  several  nephews  and  nieces,  for  whom  he 
wished  to  do  all  that  lay  in  his  power;  and  he  believed,  by 
moving  to  the  new  country,  he  could  aid  them  more  than 
by  staying  where  he  was. 

But,  above  all,  he  desired  to  be  as  litde  expense  to  the 
Church  as  possible;  and,  with  his  spirit  of  independence 


CHAP.  X."]  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  S67 

on  the  one  hand,  and  his  generosity  ou  the  other,  he  thought 
he  could  secure  to  himself  a  living,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
depend  but  little  on  others.  No  appropriation,  it  is  prob- 
able, was  made  for  the  support  of  his  family ;  or,  if  there 
was,  he  had  not  applied  for  it;  and  he  got  no  more  from 
the  Church  than  his  traveling  expenses  and  his  quarterage ; 
that  is,  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  His  property  at 
Shenango  was  worth  but  very  little.  The  mill  scarcely 
cleared  itself;  and  both  it  and  a  hundred  acres  of  the  land 
were  sold  for  a  trivial  sum,  a  very  small  part  of  which  he 
realized.  The  remaining  three  hundred  acres  were  not 
of  much  value.  The  improvements  consisted  merely  of  a 
small  clearing,  the  old  double  cabin,  and  a  log  stable.  The 
whole  was  probably  then  worth  three  or  four  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  this  amount  could  hardly  have  been  obtained  in 
good  payments  from  responsible  men.  It  is  true,  he  sold 
it,  about  this  time,  for  five  hundred  dollars ;  but,  after  wait- 
ing many  years,  lie  did  not  receive  his  pay,  and  the  land 
finally  reverted  to  him  again.  It  was,  however,  in  1832, 
sold  to  several  persons,  on  long  payments,  amounting  in  all 
to  six  hundred  dollars ;  and  then  he  received  it  in  small 
sums,  after  considerable  delays. 

After  having  fully  resolved  to  move  to  the  state  of  Indi- 
ana, he  packed  up  his  goods  in  November,  of  this  year. 
He  was  delayed,  partly  in  consequence  of  attending  the 
Ohio  and  other  conferences  in  the  fall,  and  partly  by  snag- 
ging one  of  his  horses.  When  the  morning  of  liis  depar- 
ture had  come,  he  was  earnestly  desirous  of  setting  out 
very  early,  in  order  to  avoid  the  affliction  of  bidding  adieu 
to  his  friends.  But  in  this  he  was  disappointed.  His 
relatives  and  neighbors  convened  at  an  early  hour  to  see 
him  start.  Before  a  final  separation  took  place,  they  all 
united  in  fervently  petitioning  the  throne  of  grace  for  a 
parting  blessing,  and  likewise  in  imploring  the  aid  of 
Israel's  God  to  guide  them  through  the  ever-varying  and 


268 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


[chap.  X. 


dangerous  pathway  of  life,  and  ultimately  bring  them  to 
that  sweet  celestial  home,  where  "  adieus  and  farewells  are 
sounds  unknown."  After  prayer,  such  were  the  greetings 
of  his  friends,  that  the  day  was  far  spent  before  they  set  out, 
and  they  could  only  travel  a  few  miles  before  night  overtook 
them. 

The  company  consisted  of  himself  and  wife,  Thomas 
and  Robert  Roberts,  sons  of  his  brother,  Thomas,  his  little 
nephew,  George,  and  his  niece,  Esther  Lindsay,  daughter 
of  his  favorite  sister,  Elizabeth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts 
rode  in  the  two-horse  carriage,  which  was  also  filled  pretty 
well  with  their  bed-clothes  and  other  clothing.  Esther  rode 
on  a  horse,  with  a  good  sized  pack  under  her.  The  two 
young  men  had  another  horse,  which  they  rode  alternately. 
Litde  George  sometimes  rode  in  the  carriage,  and  at  other 
times  behind  Esther,  or  one  of  the  young  men.  They 
carried  with  them  their  own  provisions,  which,  when  ex- 
hausted, they  replenished  as  opportunities  offered.  In  this 
manner  they  traveled,  until  they  reached  the  end  of  their 
journey,  which  was  on  the  28th  of  November. 

During  their  whole  route,  he  rarely  stopped  at  the  house 
of  any  of  his  religious  friends.  The  first  night  he  staid 
with  Mr.  Fell,  a  few  miles  distant,  and  the  next  with  his 
old  friend.  Dr.  Bostwich;  while,  during  the  rest  of  the 
journey,  he  put  up  at  the  public  taverns,  and  it  was  rarely 
known  who  he  was  until  after  he  had  left.  On  arriving  at 
any  place  on  Saturday  night,  he  remained  till  Monday  morn- 
ing, and  on  Sabbath  always  attended  the  house  of  God, 
but  never  proclaimed  who  he  was.  The  discovery  was 
left  to  the  circumstances  of  the  occasion.  Even  in  attend- 
ing worship  he  always  took  an  humble  and  retired  seat,  so 
that  few  would  suspect  him  of  being  a  preacher,  unless  his 
dignified  appearance  and  plain  clothing  might  serve  as 
indexes  of  discovery. 

His  brother,  Lewis,  had  succeeded  in  raising  a  cabin  for 


CHAP.  X.] 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


269 


hiin ;  but  it  M'as  the  mere  shell  of  one,  having  only  the 
rough  log  walls,  the  clap-board  roof,  and  sleepers,  and  being 
without  chimney,  door,  windows,  floor,  or  loft. 

They  arrived  in  this  new  episcopal  residence,  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  before  mentioned.  Their  provisions 
were  exhausted :  they  obtained  some  potatoes,  however,  for 
supper,  which  had  been  raised  for  them  near  the  cabin,  or 
else  were  procured  from  a  neighbor.  As  they  had  no 
fixtures  for  boiling  them,  they  made  up  a  fire  in  the  place 
where  the  chimney  was  to  stand,  and  roasted  them.  They 
were  placed  in  rows  on  a  sleeper,  about  a  foot  above  the 
ground ;  and  the  good  Bishop,  always  thankful  for  even  the 
smallest  favors  of  Heaven,  devoutly  asked  a  blessing  before 
partaking  of  the  meal,  and  likewise  returned  thanks  with 
equal  devotion,  for  thus  spreading  a  table  before  them  in 
the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  But  Esther,  who  was  then 
only  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  was  far  from  being  satisfied 
with  the  present  meagre  fare,  and  the  prospect  of  comfort 
which  lay  before  them.  She  retired  to  a  corner  of  the 
cabin,  in  rather  a  disconsolate  mood,  which  was  very 
unusual  to  her,  and  observed  to  little  George,  and  the  young 
men,  that  she  did  not  see  why  uncle  should  ask  a  blessing 
and  return  thanks,  for  a  supper  of  nothing  else  in  the  world 
but  roasted  potatoes.  They  placed  some  unhewed  pun- 
cheons on  the  sleepers,  and  prepared  their  beds  for  the  night 
as  well  as  ihey  could.  Just  as  they  were  about  going  to 
sleep,  the  wolves  began  to  howl  not  far  from  the  house. 
The  open  spaces  for  the  door  and  chimney  had  no  protec- 
tion from  their  incursion.  A  large  fire,  however,  served  to 
intimidate  them,  which  would,  also,  aid  in  discovering  them 
should  they  make  an  entrance.  As  they  continued  howling 
for  some  time,  Esther  became  very  much  alarmed,  as  she 
had  heard  it  stated,  that  the  wolves  attacked  a  horse  of  theirs 
in  Shenango,  and  killed  him,  just  after  old  Mr.  Richford  had 
moved  there.  Mr.  Roberts  used  his  utmost  persuasions  to 
23" 


270 


REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA. 


[chap.  X. 


pacify  her  and  little  George  also,  he  being  much  alarmed 
likewise.  After  a  while  the  wolves,  intimidated  probably 
by  the  blazing  fire,  and  having  no  good  prospect  of  prey, 
scampered  off  howling,  their  cries  soon  dying  away  in  the 
distance.  A  good  night's  sleep  relieved  them  from  their 
cares,  and  they  arose  in  the  morning  as  cheerful  and  con- 
tented as  the  surrounding  circumstances  would  allow — 
grateful  to  an  ever-watchful  Providence,  who  had  thus  far 
supplied  their  wants  and  preserved  them  in  safety. 

All  hands  were  now  actively  employed  in  preparing  the 
new  house  for  a  comfortable  winter  residence.  Their  beds 
and  clothing  were  all  taken  out  of  doors  in  the  morning,  and 
in  again  at  night.  A  large  fire  was  made  near  the  house,  to 
serve  as  a  kitchen  fire  during  the  day.  The  Bishop,  the 
two  young  men  and  George,  worked  at  the  place  from 
morning  dawn  till  dark.  The  puncheons  were  hewed, 
jointed,  smoothed,  the  joints  sawed,  and  all  keyed  up,  and 
the  entire  surface  smoothed  off  with  the  adze.  The 
chimney  was  then  raised  and  the  hearth  laid.  The  clap- 
board door  was  also  made,  and  thus  the  house  was  ready  for 
occupancy  day  and  night;  so  that  it  was  not  necessary  now 
for  Mrs.  Roberts  to  sit  down  on  a  log  in  the  open  air  to 
knit  or  sew,  when  not  employed  in  adjusting  such  of  their 
things  as  had  been  injured  by  the  journey. 

After  the  house  had  been  made  perfectly  habitable,  all  the 
males,  with  the  Bishop  at  their  head,  cleared  three  acres 
south  of  the  dwelling.  They  always  ate  their  breakfast 
before  day,  by  lamp,  or  fire  light,  and  worked  as  long  as 
they  could  possibly  see.  The  remainder  of  the  nights,  till 
bed-time,  was  spent  in  making  articles  of  furniture,  or  some- 
thing needful  for  out-door  work.  A  large  chair  was  made 
of  green  oak,  simply  with  the  axe  and  auger;  but  when 
finished,  it  was  too  heavy  to  be  lifted  by  Esther  or  George; 
they  could  only  push  it  along.  Several  stools  were  also 
made,  for  recreation  in  the  evenings,  as  well  as  to  serve  in 


CHAP.  X.]  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  271 

the  place  of  chairs.  A  bed-stead  was  borrowed  from  his 
brother,  Lewis,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Bishop  and  Mrs. 
Roberts,  while  the  other  members  of  the  family  had  to 
sleep  as  sweetly  as  they  could  during  the  winter  without 
such  a  convenience.  The  three  acres,  after  being  cleared, 
were  sown  with  wheat  in  December,  in  order  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  coming  year. 

In  moving,  their  money  was  all  exhausted.  Mrs. 
Roberts,  however,  was  anxious  by  some  means  to  obtain  a 
cow.  Siie  argued  that  one  would  be  very  serviceable  in 
furnishing  them  with  milk,  even  allowing  they  could  make 
no  butter.  The  Bishop  thought  they  ought  to  endeavor  to 
do  without  one,  at  least  until  spring,  as  he  had  no  money 
to  buy  one  with.  She  urged  him  to  try  his  credit,  as  it 
was  a  matter  both  of  comfort  and  economy.  With  some 
difficulty  he  got  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars,  with  which  he 
purchased  one. 

Bread  also  was  indispensably  necessary.  He  sold  one 
of  his  four  horses,  and  bought  some  wheat  and  corn,  or  else 
exchanged  him  for  some:  the  wheat  was  fifty  cents  per 
bushel,  and  the  corn  twenty-five. 

The  Bishop,  during  the  winter,  indulged  himself  occa- 
sionally ia  a  day's  hunting,  which  amply  repaid  his  toil 
with  supplies  of  venison,  as  he  killed  several  deer.  This, 
indeed,  was  the  cheapest  and  most  convenient  mode  of 
procuring  meal  for  his  family  at  that  time. 

A  pen  or  rough  stable  was  a  necessary  convenience, 
especially  at  the  present  season  of  the  year. 

A  ten  acre  field  was  cleared  during  the  winter  by  tlie 
Bishop,  the  two  young  men,  and  little  George.  As  they 
wished  to  have  it  in  readiness  by  planting  time,  they  labored 
hard,  continuing,  as  before,  till  dark.  The  severity  of  their 
work,  liowever,  was  relieved  a  little  by  attending  to  the  log 
heaps  that  were  on  fire. 

The  nearest  mill  was  eighteen  miles  distant.    This  occa- 


272  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  [cHAP.  X. 

sioned  the  loss  of  considerable  time  when  grinding  had  to 
be  done ;  and  in  order  to  prevent  the  loss  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, hommony  was  used  plentifully  ;  which  was  prepared  by 
the  corn  being  pounded  in  a  trough  made  for  the  purpose, 
or  by  hulling  it  in  lye  ;  or,  in  case  of  necessity,  corn  meal 
was  used — the  hand-mill  being  resorted  to,  or  if  no  hand-mill 
was  in  the  house,  the  grater  was  employed. 

In  the  spring,  the  Bishop  left  for  the  conferences,  taking 
with  him  one  of  the  horses,  and  leaving  the  other  two  with 
the  young  men. 

By  planting  time,  the  ten  acres  were  cleared,  fenced,  and 
likewise  ploughed,  and  furrowed  out  one  way,  for  receiving 
the  corn.  Mrs.  Roberts,  as  usual,  in  the  absence  of  the 
Bishop,  superintended  every  thing,  both  in  the  house  and  in 
the  field.  She  had  taken  a  catarrh  in  one  of  the  fingers  of 
her  right  hand  in  the  spring,  and  was  forced  to  have  it  tied 
up.  It  so  happened  that  her  hand  was  the  worst  at  planting 
time.  She  arranged  all  as  follows:  Esther  was  appointed 
to  do  all  the  house-work ;  George  furrowed  the  corn-field 
the  second  time,  making  it  ready  for  planting;  Mrs.  Roberts 
carried  the  corn  in  her  pocket,  for  such  was  the  custom  of 
those  days,  and  with  her  left  hand  dropped,  while  her  right 
was  kept  in  the  sling ;  and  the  two  young  men  covered  the 
corn.  In  this  way  the  field  was  very  soon  planted.  The 
corn  crop  turned  out  to  be  excellent,  and  the  wheat  tolerable, 
though  sown  in  December. 

They  also  raised  flax,  with  which  Mrs.  Roberts  made 
the  linen  necessary  for  her  family.  The  young  men  broke 
and  scutched  it,  Mrs.  Roberts  spun  it,  and  Esther  wove  it. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shanks,  of  the  Indiana 
conference,  for  the  following  narrative  of  Bishop  Roberts' 
attendance  on  Divine  worship  one  Sabbath  day  at  a  village, 
unobserved.  Mr.  Shanks  then  lived  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Mr.  Mitchell.  Mr.  Cravens  was  his  father-in-law.  He 
was  present  at  the  meeting,  and  was  informed  of  the  occur- 


CHAP.  X.]  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  273 

reuce  by  Mr.  Mitchell  himself,  about  two  hours  after  the 
departure  of  Mr.  Roberts,  on  Monday : 

"Early  in  the  year,  1819,  Bishop  Roberts,  on  his  way 
from  Pennsylvania  to  the  conferences  in  the  south,  arrived  on 
Sabbath  morning,  in  Fincastle,  the  county-seat  of  Botetourt 
county,  Virginia.  Having  no  acquaintance  in  the  place, 
he  called  at  a  public  house  and  took  breakfast.  On  making 
inquiry  respecting  the  arrangements  for  the  Sabbath,  he  was 
told  that  there  was  but  one  meeting-house  in  the  town,  and 
that  the  Rev.  William  Cravens,  a  Methodist  minister,  had 
to  preach  there  at  10  o'clock,  and,  also,  the  Rev.  Robert 
Logan,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  at  II  of  the  same  day.  At 
the  sound  of  the  bell,  the  Bishop  went  to  the  church,  and 
took  his  seat  amongst  the  hearers.  According  to  arrange- 
ment, Mr.  Cravens  preached  and  Mr.  Logan  followed. 
The  Rev.  Edward  Mitchell,  a  Methodist  minister,  who 
lived  a  few  miles  southwest  of  the  place,  was  called  upon 
to  close.  When  the  congregation  was  dismissed,  Mr.  Rob- 
erts inquired  of  Mr.  Mitchell,  how  far  he  lived  from  the 
town,  and  in  what  direction.  Being  politely  answered,  he 
then  said  to  Mr.  Mitchell,  if  he  would  wait  until  he  could 
get  his  horse  from  the  house  at  which  he  had  put  up,  he 
would  go  along  with  him.  To  this,  Mr.  Mitchell  readily 
consented.  As  they  left  the  town,  Mr.  Mitchell,  who  was 
fond  of  conversation,  and  always  desirous  of  giving  it  a 
religious  turn,  commenced  talking  about  the  preaching  they 
had  heard.  Mr.  Cravens  having  insisted  on  the  doctrine 
of  restitution,  he  wished  to  know  of  the  stranger  what  was 
his  opinion  of  it.  Mr.  Roberts  stated  that  he  did  not  object 
to  the  doctrine  in  the  least.  Mr.  Mitchell,  still  wishing  to 
turn  the  subject  to  the  best  advantage  with  the  stranger,  said, 
very  pointedly,  it  was  one  thing  to  consent  to  the  truth  and 
anollier  to  practice  upon  it.  Mr.  Roberts,  discovering  that 
he  was  not  suspected,  was  willing  that  Mr.  Mitchell  should 
give  what  direction  to  the  conversation  he  might  think 


274  REMOVAL  TO  INDIANA.  [cHAP.  X. 

proper ;  and  modestly  replied,  with  his  usual  peculiarity, 
to  such  questions  as  were  proposed  to  him. 

"When  they  arrived  at  Mr.  Mitchell's  residence,  Mr.  M. 
said  to  him,  '  There  is  the  stable,  and  the  hay,  and  corn, 
and  my  rule  is,  that  all  who  come  to  see  me  must  wait  on 
themselves.'  To  this  the  stranger  raised  no  objections, 
and  put  up  his  horse.  When  he  had  done,  the  dinner  was 
ready.  Mr.  Mitchell,  as  was  his  custom,  asked  a  blessing; 
and  when  seated,  resumed  the  conversation,  and  took  the 
liberty  of  inquiring  of  the  stranger  where  he  was  from,  and 
to  what  place  he  was  going  ?  On  these  questions  being  an- 
swered, he  was  next  asked,  what  was  his  name.  To 
which  the  Bishop  replied,  '  My  name  is  Roberts.'  'Any 
relation  of  Robert  R.  Roberts,  one  of  our  Bishops  ?'  asked 
Mr.  Mitchell.  '  My  name  is  Robert  R.  Roberts,'  said 
the  stranger.  At  this,  Mr.  Mitchell  involuntarily  dropped 
his  knife  and  fork,  and  gazed  a  moment  speechless  at  his 
visitor;  and  all  at  once  the  thought  struck  him  that  his 
appearance,  conversation,  and  general  deportment  were 
those  of  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  and  it  was  a  matter  of 
astonishment  to  him  that  he  had  not  thought  of  his  being  a 
clergyman  before. 

"  Mr.  Mitchell,  after  having  composed  himself  a  little, 
asked  the  Bishop  why  he  had  not  made  himself  known  to 
them  when  he  first  entered  the  town,  and  preached  for 
them?  To  which  the  Bishop  replied,  that  it  was  his  inten- 
tion so  to  have  done :  he  had  traveled  rapidly  tlie  day  be- 
fore, in  order  to  enjoy  the  holy  day  of  rest  among  them ; 
but  on  learning  the  arrangements  that  had  been  made,  and 
also  that  Mr.  Cravens,  like  himself,  was  a  stranger,  and 
had  only  stopped  to  spend  the  Sabbath  day  there,  he 
thought  it  best  to  attend  the  house  of  God  as  an  humble 
hearer  of  the  word  of  life,  and  thus  have  the  privilege  of 
worshiping  with  the  people  of  that  strange  land  in  the 
capacity  of  a  private  Christian." 


CHAP.  XI.]        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE. 


275 


CHAPTER  XI. 

EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE. 

In  the  foregoing  chapter,  we  followed  Bishop  Roberts  up 
to  the  third  year  of  his  episcopacy,  or  to  the  year  1819, 
at  which  time  he  had  fully  settled  in  Indiana.  We  weie 
guided  in  our  narrative  by  such  information  as  we  had 
collected  by  our  own  inquiries,  from  the  oral  communica- 
tions of  his  near  relatives  and  intimate  friends — those  who 
had  been  the  participators  in,  or  observers  of  the  events 
which  they  narrated.  As  already  stated,  we  have  no  journal 
of  his  travels  from  the  time  he  was  elected  Bishop  to  his 
death :  and  as  his  relatives  committed  nothing  concerning 
him  to  writing,  their  information  was  confined  to  what  they 
were  eye  and  ear-witnesses  of,  while  the  Bishop  was  among 
them.  Of  his  travels  and  adventures,  and  the  occurrences 
connected  with  them,  there  is  nothing  on  record.  Besides 
keeping  no  journal  of  what  transpired,  he  wrote  very  few 
letters,  and  in  the  few  that  he  did  write,  scarcely  any  thing 
is  to  be  found  respecting  himself.  A  very  small  number  of 
letters  were  in  his  possession  at  the  time  of  his  death  that 
had  been  written  previous  to  1824.  Most  of  those  received 
before  this  time  perished,  as  we  suppose,  either  prior  to  his 
leaving  Shenango  for  Indiana,  or  during  the  few  first  years 
of  his  residence  there.  We  give  two  reasons  for  this. 
The  first  is,  that  he  placed  no  special  estimate  on  papers 
of  this  character,  in  consequence  of  his  unaffected  reluc- 
tance, or  rather  unwillingness,  to  have  any  thing  made 
known  concerning  himself.  The  other  reason  is,  that  he 
had  no  suitable  place  of  safe  keeping  for  them  during  the 
period  referred  to.  In  Shenango  he  had  neither  book-case, 
cupboards,  nor  any  thing  of  the  kind,  in  which  to  deposit 
them  ;  and  even  if  he  had  had  any,  the  drippings  through 
the  clap-board  roof  would  probably  have  reached  them,  and 


276  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  XI. 

thus  destroyed  them.  In  Indiana,  too,  though  free  from  a 
leaky  roof,  yet  he  had  no  place  of  deposit  for  his  papers 
even  for  several  years  after  he  moved  there.  At  any  rate, 
we  find  but  few  papers,  and  those  few  of  no  special  interest, 
written  before  the  year  1824.  It  is  probable,  that  about  this 
time,  he  prepared  some  convenient  place  for  preserving 
important  manuscripts. 

Among  his  papers,  written  after  the  time  just  mentioned, 
we  find  some  letters  that  were  sent  by  himself  to  his  rela- 
tives. We  also  find  a  number  from  the  other  Bishops,  and 
several  distinguished  individuals,  which  our  readers  will  be 
pleased  to  peruse.  In  the  absence  of  almost  all  other 
matter,  except  some  small  gleanings  of  our  own  and  a  few 
friends,  we  deem  it  advisable  to  present  to  the  public  the 
most  interesting  letters,  or  at  least  parts  of  them,  introducing 
such  other  facts  as  we  have  gathered,  and  observing  the 
chronological  order  of  events  as  far  as  we  can.  This  is  the 
very  best  we  can  do,  or  that  any  one  else  could  do,  under 
the  circumstances.  Had  those  who  are  in  the  possession 
of  facts  respecting  the  Bishop,  communicated  them  to  us, 
we  could  have  made  our  work  more  interesting.  The 
public  call  was  earnestly  made  eight  months  ago,  and  yet 
few  responses  have  been  given.  Our  biographical  perform- 
ance, therefore,  of  this  most  wortiiy  individual,  must  be 
deficient  for  the  foregoing  reasons,  as  well  as  from  the  want 
of  graphic  powers  in  the  writer. 

In  1820,  he  was  conveyed  home  sick,  and  during  his 
illness,  suffered  much.  His  strong  constitution,  however, 
very  soon  counteracted  his  disease,  which  was  fever  and 
ague.  When  he  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  work 
a  little  on  the  days  in  which  he  was  free  from  the  chills  and 
fever,  he  improved  most  rapidly ;  and  by  a  full  exercise  of 
his  muscular  powers,  in  clearing  land  and  putting  up  rude 
buildings  to  suit  the  temporary  wants  of  his  new  location, 
his  former  robust  state  of  body  was  restored,  so  that  he  was 


CHAP.  XI.]        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  277 

ready  to  commence  his  tour  of  conferences  as  soon  as  was 
necessary. 

In  the  summer  of  1821,  Bishop  Roberts,  passing  through 
Chillicothe,  on  his  episcopal  tour,  and  learning  that  a  camp 
meeting  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city  was  then  in  progress, 
attended,  and  preached  daily  during  his  stay.  On  Sabbath, 
the  appointment  at  10  o'clock  was  assigned  him.  After 
ascending  the  stand,  he  received  a  note,  written  at  the  instance 
of  a  young  lady,  the  daughter  of  General  M'A.,  residing 
near  Chillicothe,  who  lay  dangerously  ill  of  the  bilious  fever, 
and  of  whose  recovery  but  little  hope  was  entertained  by 
her  friends.  She  felt  that  she  was  unprepared  to  die,  and 
had  become  deeply  concerned  about  the  salvation  of  her 
soul.  The  note  she  had  that  morning  sent  to  the  Bishop, 
earnestly  desired  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  in  her 
behalf.  The  Bishop  read  the  contents  from  the  stand, 
withholding  the  name  and  family  connections  of  the  young 
lady,  and  then  made  a  few  remarks  to  move  the  sympathies 
of  the  congregation,  and  concluded  by  calling  upon  them  to 
unite  in  earnest  prayer  to  God  for  her  salvation,  and  for  the 
recovery  of  her  health.  His  address  to  the  throne  of 
grace  on  this  occasion,  which  was  the  opening  prayer  of  the 
service,  was  most  fervent,  importunate,  and  powerful,  and 
was  made  apparently  with  all  the  confidence  and  strong 
faith  of  one  who  felt  assured  that  his  requests  would  be 
heard  and  answered.  And  so  it  was :  for,  in  that  very  hour, 
the  young  lady  began  to  recover,  and  in  a  few  days  was 
fully  restored  to  health,  and  is  living  at  the  present  day. 
Whether  the  serious  impressions  which  were  made  on  her 
mind  during  her  illness,  resulted  in  any  permanent  spiritual 
good,  we  are  unable  to  say.  We  have  been  informed, 
however,  that  she  was  satisfied  that  God  had  spared  her 
life  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  Bishop  and  the  pious 
part  of  the  congregation. 

On  Monday,  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.,  a  distinguished  minister 
24 


278  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  XI, 

of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  preached  at  10  o'clock,  ami 
was  followed  by  the  Bishop.  The  Doctor's  text  was,  "Do 
we  then  make  void  the  law  through  faith  ?  God  forbid : 
yea,  we  establish  the  law,"  Romans  iii,  31.  The  dis- 
course was  an  able  one,  and  was  well  delivered.  When 
the  Doctor  had  concluded,  Bishop  Roberts,  after  singing 
and  prayer,  took  for  his  text,  "  He  that  loveth  pureness 
of  heart,  for  the  grace  of  his  lips  the  King  shall  be  his 
friend,"  Proverbs  xxii,  11.  In  the  first  division  of  his  dis- 
course, he  defined  with  great  clearness  the  doctrine  of 
"pureness  of  heart,"  or  Christian  perfection,  and  defended 
it  by  a  series  of  arguments  and  proofs,  drawn  chiefly  from 
the  Scriptures,  which  were  sufficient  to  convince  every  one 
who  heard  him  of  the  truth  of  his  position.  In  the  second 
division — "  the  grace  of  his  lips" — he  dwelt  a  few  moments 
on  the  peculiarity  of  the  phrase,  lingering  upon  its  apparent 
difficulty,  as  though  he  was  himself  in  doubt  how  to  solve 
it,  until  he  had  awakened  in  his  hearers  the  deepest  atten- 
tion. He  then  proceeded  to  show  the  true  import  of  the 
words,  and  presented,  in  a  lucid  and  highly  interesting  ex- 
position, the  excellence  and  attractiveness  of  holy  conver- 
sation, purity  of  language,  or  administering  "  grace"  to  the 
listener,  so  necessary  in  all  who  would  attain  unto  "  pure- 
ness of  heart,"  and  continue  therein.  In  the  last  division 
of  his  subject — "the  King  shall  be  his  friend" — the  Bishop 
was  peculiarly  interesting.  He  described  briefly,  but  elo- 
quently, the  character  and  attributes  of  the  "Friend"  of  the 
pure  in  heart,  the  "King  of  kings!"  reciting  numerous 
appropriate  Scripture  promises  which  were  applicable  to 
all  the  diversified  cases  of  mankind,  and  giving  the  most 
happy  illustrations  of  their  power  and  efficacy.  In  this 
part  of  his  discourse,  the  Bishop  was  peculiarly  animated 
and  impressive,  and  his  words  were  accompanied  with  an 
unusual  degree  of  the  power  and  energy  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Taking  the  sermon  altogether,  it  was,  for  strength  and 


CHAP.  XI.]        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  279 

clearness,  for  tiHie  eloquence  and  power,  certainly  a  superior 
performance.  We  are  informed  by  a  devout  and  intelligent 
Christian,  who  was  present  on  the  occasion,  that,  although 
twenty-two  years  have  elapsed  since  its  delivery,  he  still 
retains  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  arrangement  and  the  ma- 
terial parts  of  the  discourse,  and,  also,  of  the  almost  inimit- 
able earnestness,  impressivencss  and  power  of  his  elo- 
quence, as  well  as  of  the  tones  of  his  full,  clear,  strong  and 
musical  voice,  the  fine,  commanding  appearance  of  his 
figure,  and  the  natural  gracefulness  and  ease  of  his  manner 
and  gestures. 

In  the  summer  of  1822,  his  hewed  log  house  was  erected, 
and  was  finished  in  the  winter  of  1823  and  1824.  His 
own  laborious  exertions  were  put  into  requisition,  as  well 
as  all  the  means  he  could  avail  himself  of,  in  order  to  finish 
it.  As  a  specimen  of  the  economy  which  he  found  neces- 
sary to  observe,  we  will  present  an  extract  of  a  letter  to 
Mrs.  Roberts,  dated  February  8th,  1822.  The  boys,  or 
young  men,  referred  to,  were  his  nephews,  that  lived  with 
him,  and  cleared  and  worked  his  land: 

"Having  a  few  leisure  moments,  I  write  to  inform  you 
that  I  have  employed  Mr.  Hamersley  to  saw  my  boards. 
You  will,  therefore,  tell  the  boys  to  take  the  logs  to  liis 
mill.  They  can  be  furnished  with  oak,  as  well  as  poplar, 
at  Mr.  JoUey's.  The  poplar  he  is  to  saw  on  the  shares ; 
and  for  the  oak,  I  pay  him  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per 
hundred.  I  have  agreed  with  Mr.  Pro  to  buy  you  an 
auger,  and  Lindsay  can  take  it  to  you.  I  think  the  saw- 
logs  ought  to  be  cut  about  twelve  feet  long,  but  the  boys 
may  consult  Mr.  JoUey  on  this  particular,  as  he  knows 
more  about  building  than  I  do.  When  you  get  the  boards, 
and  have  them  seasoned,  you  may  call  on  Mr.  John  Leatli- 
erman  to  lay  the  lower  floor,  or,  at  least,  to  work  out  the 
amount  of  seventeen  dollars,  for  which  I  hold  his  note. 
My  love  to  Esther  and  the  boys,  and,  as  always,  to  yourself." 


380  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [CHAP.  XI. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  Wiley  Ledbetter, 
missionary  among  the  Choctaw  Indians,  will  give  a  lively 
picture  of  the  state  of  things  among  those  Indians  at  the 
time  it  was  written.    It  is  dated  April  15,  1824: 

"According  to  your  direction,  I  wrote  you  a  letter  about 
the  last  of  March,  in  which  I  gave  a  full  statement  of  the 
mission  up  to  that  time ;  but  owing  to  the  waters  being 
high,  and  the  danger  of  the  letter  being  lost,  I  have  thought 
it  proper  to  write  to  you  again.  If  that  letter  should  not 
have  come  to  hand,  I  will,  at  some  future  time,  give  you  an 
account  of  the  revival  in  this  nation ;  as  it  is  important, 
under  existing  circumstances,  that  an  exact  account  of  the 
commencement  and  progress  of  the  work  sliould  be  pub- 
lished. 

"  In  the  letter,  I  informed  you  of  twelve  that  had  been 
converted.  They  are  all  now  growing  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  divine  things.  Since  that  time,  six  more 
have  been  brought  to  rejoice  in  the  pardoning  love  of  God. 
This  accession,  added  to  the  former,  makes  eighteen,  five 
of  whom  are  white  men,  one  is  a  colored  woman,  and  the 
remaining  twelve  are  natives.  Among  the  natives  is  a 
woman  that  must  be  upward  of  thirty  years  old. 

"The  work  appears  to  be  spreading  in  a  very  encour- 
aginff  manner,  and  a  spirit  of  inquiry  is  waked  up  every- 
where. The  people  are  soliciting  me  to  come  and  preach 
to  them  in  almost  every  part  of  the  nation.  We  have  suffi- 
cient ground  for  at  least  four  circuits  ;  and  it  is  very  impor- 
tant that  these  should  be  laid  out  and  supplied  with  preach- 
ers as  soon  as  possible.  Those  that  I  cannot  visit,  complain 
of  me  for  not  preaching  to  them  as  well  as  to  others.  O, 
Lord,  in  mercy  send  laborers  into  the  field.  It  will  be 
necessary  to  enlarge  my  work  so  as  to  embrace  at  least 
twenty-five  appointments*  by  the  1st  of  July.  This  I 
shall  do  with  the  hope  of  receiving  ministerial  assistance 
shortly. 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  281 

"The  prospect  for  establishing  schools  is  flattering.  The 
people  are  very  desirous  that  we  have  those  institutions 
amongst  them.  If  possible,  we  must  open  a  boarding 
school  this  fall.  I  am  continually  pressed  for  information 
on  that  subject;  and  I  have  to  satisfy  the  people  by  holding 
them  in  expectation  that  something  will,  this  fall,  be  done. 
Are  there  not  families  in  Baltimore  that  are  able  and  willing 
to  aid  in  this  enterprise?  If  two  families,  that  have  the 
means,  would  unite,  they  could  easily  support  one  poor  In- 
dian child  in  the  school;  and,  at  this  rate,  eighty  families 
would  maintain  forty  children.  Add  to  this,  what  may  be 
done  in  other  cities,  beside  what  the  missionary  society  and 
the  government  will  do,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  render  the 
mission  respectable  and  useful.  I  refer  you  to  the  circular 
of  the  Secretary  of  War,  dated  September  3d,  1819.  The 
character  of  missionaries  is  by  some  held  in  contempt,  from 
the  supposition  that  the  scheme  is  a  speculating  affair.  In 
order  to  remove  this  erroneous  notion,  I  would  suggest  the 
propriety  of  having  trustees  appointed  to  our  schools,  who 
shall  be  required  to  examine  most  rigidly  into  their  condi- 
tion, and  report  quarterly  to  the  people.  The  place  that 
we  have  in  contemplation  for  a  boarding  school,  is  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Talking  Warriors.  A  great  number  of 
children  are  there,  and  the  place  is  very  healthy. 

"  My  old  horse  has  given  out.  I  have  had  to  purchase 
two,  one  for  myself  and  the  other  for  my  interpreter.  They 
cost  me  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  I  have  bought 
twenty  dollars'  worth  of  clothes  for  tiie  interpreter.  This 
sum,  one  hundred  and  seventy  dollars,  I  stand  in  need  of. 

"I  wrote  to  you  that  it  was  expected  the  chiefs  and 
others  would  start  for  the  City  of  Washington  about  the  1st 
of  May,  and  that  they  wished  to  see  you  there,  or  that  you 
would  appoint  some  person  to  wait  on  tliem.  It  is  probable 
that  they  will  not  start  until  the  last  of  May. 

"I  wait  with  great  anxiety  to  hear  from  you,  and  receive 
2V 


282  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  Xt. 

instructions  with  respect  to  commencing  the  buildings  for  a 
school." 

From  the  annexed  letter,  written  by  Bishop  George,  it 
will  be  seen  that  a  pastoral  address  was  prepared  by  him, 
and  sanctioned  by  Bishop  Hedding,  and  then  sent  to  Bishop 
Roberts,  for  the  approval  of  him  as  well  as  the  other 
Bishops.  It  is  dated  July  6th,  and  was  directed  to  the 
Bishop  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  where  he  received  it  while 
attending  the  session  of  the  conference  there.  Bishops 
M'Kendree  and  Soule  were  also  present  on  the  occasion : 

"  These  lines  leave  brother  Hedding  and  myself  reasona- 
bly well.  We  have  finished  the  New  York  and  New 
England  conferences.  We  have  had  general  peace,  with  one 
exception.  Joshua  Randall,  the  old  preacher,  who  was 
arrested  when  you  were  at  the  Bath  conference,  has  con- 
tinued to  support  his  almost  incomprehensible  proposition, 
which  is,  if  I  understand  it,  that  '  while  Christ  died  for 
original  transgression,  he  made  no  atonement  for  actual 
sins.'  With  this  strange  theological  enigma,  he  has  vexed 
and  teased  his  brethren  until  they  have  taken  away  his 
parchments,  from  which  decision  he  has  appealed  to  General 
conference,  according  to  custom. 

"  In  these  conferences  our  increase  in  the  ministry  ap- 
proaches to  redundancy ;  but  in  the  membership  we  progress 
slowly.  My  fears  are  that,  in  this  respect,  we  shall  lose 
our  balance  of  proportion ;  and  if  we  do,  we  shall  sink 
slowly,  but  certainly. 

"  Being  in  the  regions  of  literature,  brother  Hedding  and 
myself  have  prepared  the  pastoral  letter  that  General  con- 
ference directed  us  to  write,  which  we  send  inclosed,  for  the 
examination  of  yourself  and  your  colleagues.  If  it  should 
meet  your  approbation,  it  will  be  necessary  to  send  it  to  tlie 
editors  as  soon  as  possible,  in  order  that  they  may  print  and 
circulate  it.  Sometliing  of  the  kind  ought  to  be  done 
speedily,  that  our  people  may  see  that  we  take  no  part  in 


CHAP.   XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  283 

this  unhappy  revolutionizing  system,  that  has  been  and  is 
now  progressing. 

"  We  are  now  able  to  report  the  time  of  the  Pittsburg 
and  Ohio  conferences  for  the  next  year,  which  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Pittsburg,  September  the  5th,  and  Ohio,  October 
the  I2th. 

"  I  should  thank  you  to  write  and  let  us  know  as  soon 
as  possible  where  they  are  to  be  held.  At  all  events  I 
hope  you  will  write  to  me  as  often  as  you  can,  and  you  may 
depend  on  an  answer.  My  colleague  does  excellently  in 
his  new  business.    Pray  for  your  brother." 

The  following  is  the  address  referred  to  in  the  preceding 
letter;  and  although  it  was  prepared  in  1824,  it  is  not 
wholly  inapplicable  to  the  state  of  the  Church  now: 

"  Beloved  Brethren, — As  it  is  our  greatest  desire,  that 
you  should  prosper  and  abound  in  every  good  word  and 
work,  we  would  use  our  utmost  endeavors  to  promote  your 
spiritual  interests.  And  were  it  possible,  we  would  visit 
you  all  in  person,  and  show  you,  by  word  and  by  deed, 
how  great  is  our  love  toward  you,  and  how  earnestly  we 
long  after  you  all.  But,  considering  the  nature  and  extent 
of  our  labors,  you  will  readily  perceive,  this  is  impossible. 
To  make  up  our  lack  of  service  to  you  in  person,  and  to 
comply  with  the  request  of  the  General  conference,  we  send 
you  this  general  epistle  of  advice  and  instruction ;  wherein 
we  salute  you  all  as  beloved  brethren,  and  heirs  together  with 
us  of  the  grace  of  God.  And  we  are  drawn  to  this,  not 
only  by  the  love  we  feel  for  you,  but,  also,  by  the  considera- 
tion of  the  high  responsibility  we  stand  under  to  God.  In 
the  order  of  the  Church,  and  we  trust  by  the  providence  of 
God,  we  have  been  called  to  take  the  general  superintcn- 
dency  of  a  numerous  and  a  growing  people — a  people  that 
have  been  hitherto  highly  favored  of  the  Lord,  and  that  he 
seems  to  have  raised  up  to  subserve  important  purposes 
in  the  kingdom  of  grace.    In  such  a  station,  our  duties  are 


284  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

at  all  times  important,  and  our  responsibility  great;  but 
more  especially  at  this  time. 

"  Never  was  there  a  period,  perhaps,  more  momentously 
interesting  to  our  Church  than  the  present.  We  have, 
through  the  blessing  of  God,  seventeen  conferences,  between 
three  and  four  thousand  traveling  and  local  preachers,  and 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  members.  And  as  if  what 
had  been  done,  was  only  preparatory  to  something  much  more 
extensive,  great  and  effectual  doors  are  opening  on  every 
side,  to  enable  us  to  enlarge  our  field  of  labor  and  increase 
our  usefulness.  To  fill  these,  requires  all  our  united 
energies,  and  the  most  ardent  zeal  in  the  work.  And  yet, 
perhaps,  this  is  the  time,  when  we  are  most  in  danger  of 
dividing  our  energies  and  abating  in  our  zeal.  From  the 
history  of  the  Church  we  learn,  that  almost  all  religious 
sects,  not  even  excepting  the  primitive  sect,  that  was  '  every- 
where spoken  against,'  have,  in  their  progress,  declined  into 
lukewarmness,  formality,  and  worldly  pomp,  or  vain  super- 
stition. This  seems  to  be  the  course  of  nature.  Purity, 
humility,  and  faithfulness,  are  owned  of  God ;  and  the 
Church  that  is  clothed  with  these,  will  be  blessed  of  him. 
Though  persecuted,  it  will  increase,  until  by  its  numbers 
and  influence,  it  is  able  to  overlook  all  opposition.  Then 
comes  the  danger.  Primitive  simplicity  is  laid  aside,  pride 
is  engendered,  and  divisions  creep  in,  till  those  who  began 
in  the  spirit,  end  in  the  flesh ;  and  those  who  might  have 
been  useful  in  the  world,  become  a  stumbling  block  and  a 
curse. 

"  Beloved  brethren,  shall  it  be  so  with  us  ?  With  all  the 
warning  examples  we  have  before  us — with  all  the  advan- 
tages, arising  from  our  excellent  institutions,  our  itinerant 
ministry,  and  our  past  experience,  together  with  the  encour- 
agement derived  from  the  holy  lives  and  triumphant  death 
of  so  many  who  have  lived  and  died  under  the  influence  of 
our  doctrines,  shall  we  too  grow  lukewarm,  and  like  the 


CHAP.   XI.3        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  285 

Churches  of  Asia,  have  our  candlesticks  removed  out  of 
their  place  ?  And  that,  moreover,  at  a  time,  when  we  have 
the  means  and  the  opportunity  of  doing  so  much  good  to  a 
world  lying  in  wickedness  ?  May  God  forbid.  And  in- 
deed, dear  brethren,  we  hope  and  have  reason  to  expect 
better  things. 

"  Nevertheless,  we  are  not  without  our  fears.  Permit 
us  to  say,  in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  '  we  are  jealous 
over  you  with  a  godly  jealousy.'  Our  fears  do  not  arise  so 
much  from  any  extensive  dereliction  of  primitive  principles 
already  witnessed  among  you,  as  from  other  causes.  We 
are  growing  numerous,  and  therefore  in  greater  danger  of 
divisions.  God  has,  in  a  great  degree,  wiped  away  our 
reproach  ;  and  therefore  we  are  in  greater  danger  of  pride, 
that  bane  of  the  Church,  that  destroyer  of  angels  and  men. 
Are  we  not  also  in  danger  of  vain  speculations,  of  reckoning 
upon  our  numbers,  and  of  relaxing  our  rules,  to  accommo- 
date carnal  professors?  And  are  we  not, likewise, in  danger 
of  growing  weary  in  holding,  with  a  strict  and  steady  hand, 
the  reins  of  discipline  ?  Do  we,  as  preachers,  feel  the  same 
child-like  spirit,  which  so  eminently  distinguished  some  of 
our  first  ministers  ?  Do  we  come  to  the  people  '  in  the 
fullness  of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  V  It  is  not 
enough  merely  to  preach  Gospel  truth,  but  we  must  preach 
a  full  Gospel,  from  a  full  heart ;  and  preach  it,  too,  in 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  witli  power.  Above  all,  do 
we  insist  upon  tlie  present  witness  of  the  Spirit,  and  upon 
entire  sanctification  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus?  As 
private  members,  are  we  denying  self,  and  bearing  the  cross 
as  formerly  ?  Arc  we  striving,  by  faith  and  obedience,  to 
elevate  our  hearts  and  lives  to  the  standard  of  Gospel 
holiness  ;  or  are  we  wishing  to  have  that  standard  lowered 
down  to  our  unsanctified  natures  ?  In  short,  are  we  con- 
tented to  have  the  doctrine  of  Christian  holiness  an  article 
of  our  creed  only,  without  becoming  experimentally  and 


286  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  XI. 

practically  acquainted  with  it ;  or  are  we  pressing  after  it  as 
the  prize  of  our  high  calling  in  Christ  Jesus?  Let  us 
examine  ourselves  on  these  subjects,  and  so  much  the  more, 
as  we  see  the  danger  increasing — so  much  the  more  as  we 
see  our  sphere  of  usefulness  enlarging.  If  Methodists  give 
up  the  doctrine  of  entire  sanctification,  or  suffer  it  to  become 
a  dead  letter,  they  are  a  fallen  people.  It  is  this  that  lays 
the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  Antinomian  tree,  in  all  its  forms  and 
degrees  of  growth — it  is  this  that  inflames  zeal,  diffuses  life, 
rouses  to  action,  prompts  to  perseverance,  and  urges  the 
soul  forward  to  every  holy  exercise,  and  every  useful  work. 
If  Methodists  lose  sight  of  this  doctrine,  they  will  fall  by 
their  own  weight.  Their  successes,  in  gaining  numbers, 
will  be  the  cause  of  their  dissolution.  Holiness  is  the  main 
cord  that  binds  us  together.  Relax  this,  and  you  loosen  the 
whole  system.  This  will  appear  the  more  evident,  if  we 
call  to  mind  the  original  design  of  Methodism.  It  was  to 
raise  up  and  preserve  a  holy  people.  This  was  the  prin- 
cipal object  which  Mr.  Wesley,  who,  under  God,  was  the 
great  founder  of  our  order,  had  in  view.  To  this  end  all 
the  doctrines  believed  and  preached  by  Methodists  tend. 
And  the  rules  of  our  Discipline,  and  the  peculiar  usages  of 
our  Church,  were  all  instituted  with  the  same  design.  Who 
ever  supposed,  or  who  that  is  acquainted  with  it  can  sup- 
pose, that  our  system  was  designed,  in  any  of  its  parts,  to 
secure  the  applause  and  popularity  of  the  world,  or  a 
numerical  increase  of  worldly  or  impenitent  men?  Is  there 
any  provision  made  for  the  aggrandizement  of  our  ministers, 
or  the  worldly-mindedness  of  our  members  ?  The  reverse 
of  all  this  is  true  of  both  our  doctrine  and  discipline. 
They  make  no  provision  for  the  flesh.  They  forbid  con- 
formity to  the  world,  and  enjoin  humility,  self-denial  and 
a  close  walk  with  God. 

"  Whenever,  therefore,  we,  as  a  people,  have  any  other 
object  in  view,  in  our  ecclesiastical  associations  and  regula- 


CHAP.  XI.]        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  287 

tions,  than  that  for  which  our  institutions  were  originally 
designed,  th;it  moment  these  institutions  will  become  not 
only  useless,  but  offensive.  We  shall  wish  them  out  of  the 
way,  and  others  substituted  more  congenial  with  our  views 
and  wishes.  A  change  will,  of  course,  be  attempted ;  and 
whether  such  attempts  succeed  or  fail,  the  consequences 
will,  in  any  case,  be  serio\is,  perhaps  fatal.  For,  in  our 
reasonings,  and  speculations,  and  strifes,  on  this  subject,  we 
shall  forget  '  to  strengthen,'  even  '  the  things  that  remain,' 
and  that  are  ready  to  die.  Thus  will  our  spiritual  downfall 
be  certain,  and  our  ruin  as  a  Church  inevitable.  To  this 
idea,  beloved  brethren,  we  would  particularly  call  your 
attention.  We  have  before  stated,  that,  as  we  were  becom- 
ing numerous,  we  were  in  danger  of  divisions,  because 
among  so  many  there  would  be  a  diversity  of  opinions. 
And  we  have  just  now  alluded  to  a  speculative  spirit,  about 
modes  of  Church  government,  and  a  restless  desire  for 
change,  to  which  we,  as  a  Church,  are  opposed,  and  which 
originates  in  our  attending  too  little  to  the  spirit  and  design 
of  our  institutions.  This,  we  have  already  slated,  tends,  in 
its  consequences,  to  final  ruin.  Now,  whether  this  dissatis- 
faction and  speculative  disposition  be  owing  to  either  of  the 
above  causes,  or  whether  it  be  owing  to  both,  is  not  perhaps 
easily  to  be  determined.  One  thing,  however,  is  certain, 
such  a  disposition  has  in  some  instances  shown  itself  in  our 
Church.  And  whatever  may  be  the  cause,  even  though  it 
should  be  what  might  appear  to  some,  a  manifest  defect 
in  some  of  our  institutions,  still  the  consequences  are  to  be 
dreaded.  Yea,  notwithstanding  the  symptoms  of  this 
spirit  are  confined  to  a  few,  still  it  is  a  contagious  spirit; 
and  when  it  once  commences,  there  is  danger  of  its  spread- 
ing. And  the  same,  or  different  causes,  may  operate  to 
make  it  general.  And  we  could  not,  dear  brethren,  without 
pain,  see  the  Church  generally  agitated  on  this  subject.  It 
is  to  be  dreaded  as  the  spirit  of  death.    You  will,  therefore, 


288  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  XI. 

bear  with  us,  while  we  caution  you  against  it,  by  several 
considerations. 

"1.  As  has  been  before  stated,  where  this  spirit  is  indulg- 
ed, the  spirit  of  devotion  proportionably  declines.  When  it 
progresses  to  any  considerable  extent,  so  as  to  enlist  the 
feelings  and  excite  tiie  attention  of  the  members  generally, 
farewell  to  a  growth  of  grace  and  to  the  work  of  reforma- 
tion. The  most  important  part  of  the  Gospel  is  lost  in 
contentions  about  things  of  minor  consequence.  This  is 
evident  from  general  experience.  None  need  any  farther 
proof  of  it  than  to  mark  the  effect  in  themselves,  or  in  their 
societies,  if  these  questions  have  been  agitated  among  them. 

"2.  This  spirit  endangers  the  safety  of  the  Church. 
Divisions  are  formed,  prejudices,  party  feelings,  mutual 
recriminations,  and  dangerous  and  distressing  schisms  are 
the  painful  results.  This  would  undoubtedly  be  our 
situation,  if  we  should  attempt  a  general  or  a  radical  change. 
If  we  should  give  up  the  original  plan  on  which  we  set  out, 
could  we  ever  get  our  people,  scattered  as  they  are  over  so 
vast  an  extent  of  country,  and  combining  such  a  variety  of 
views  and  prejudices,  to  agree  upon  a  new  system?  No. 
It  would  be  chimerical  in  the  extreme  to  expect  it.  The 
petitions  and  memorials  that  came  before  the  last  General 
conference,  prove  that  there  could  be  no  such  union  of 
views  effected.  Whenever,  therefore,  we  give  up  our  old 
system,  and  set  ourselves  afloat  upon  the  waves  of  specu- 
lation, and  risk  our  all  upon  the  experiment  of  a  revolution 
of  our  plan,  we  that  moment  put  an  end  to  the  union,  the 
strength,  and  the  glory  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Refer- 
ence to  the  history  of  the  Church  will  show,  that  reforma- 
tions in  Church  government  have  Iieretofore  been  effected 
in  connection  with  a  reform  in  morals  and  religion.  Re- 
formers, like  Luther  and  Wesley,  have  come  out  from  a 
corrupt  Church,  and  begun  to  preach  a  pure  doctrine. 
When  they  succeeded  in  making  converts,  they  put  them, 


CBA.F'  XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  289 

if  they  wished  to  unite  with  them,  under  a  pure  government 
and  discipline.  And  thus  they  effected  a  reform.  But  we 
believe  no  religious  sects,  after  they  have  become  numerous, 
have  ever  effected  any  considerable  changes  in  their  Church 
governments,  and  at  the  same  time  preserved  the  unity  of 
the  body.  Many  attempts  to  do  this  have  been  made,  and 
many  convulsions  and  divisions  have  been  the  result.  Let 
us  shun  the  rocks  on  which  so  many  have  been  wrecked. 

"  3.  We  exhort  you,  brethren,  to  give  yourselves  no 
anxieties  about  changes  in  your  system,  from  the  considera- 
tion, that  such  anxieties  are  unnecessary.  What  people 
has  God  blessed  like  the  Methodists?  What  institutions 
has  he  more  generally  owned  than  theirs  ?  If,  then,  we  have 
those  institutions,  those  doctrines  and  that  form  of  govern- 
ment which  God  has  remarkably  owned  and  blessed,  and 
which  he  still  owns  and  blesses,  and  under  which  our 
numbers  have  greatly  increased  and  are  still  increasing,  what 
more  can  we  expect — what  more  can  we  desire  ?  It  is  not 
pretended,  however,  that  our  system  is  perfect ;  nor  will 
we  go  so  far  as  to  say,  no  alterations  will  ever  be  needed. 
But  there  is  one  consideration  connected  with  this  subject 
that  deserves  our  particular  attention,  and  will,  we  think,  go 
far  to  confirm  the  idea  that  all  anxieties  and  exertions  for  a 
change  are  unnecessary.  It  is  this :  our  present  form  of 
Church  government  is  providential.  It  is  not,  in  the 
great  whole,  the  effect  of  previous  design;  but  the  result 
of  a  chain  of  providences,  which  have  led  us  on,  step  by 
step,  to  our  present  system  of  government.  Now,  if  any 
alterations  are  necessary,  to  accommodate  any'change  which 
may  have  taken  place  in  the  progress  of  our  work ,  and  in 
the  increase  and  extent  of  our  societies,  the  same  providen- 
tial hand,  which  has  led  us  on  hitherto,  will  still  direct  us 
in  the  right  way.  Here  we  may  all  rest  with  safety.  If 
we  live  humbly  and  holy — if,  by  prayer,  we  commend  the 
Church  to  God,  invoke  his  aid,  and  press  forward  in  his 
25 


890  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

service,  will  he  not  go  before  us  and  direct  our  steps? 
Most  assuredly  he  will.  In  the  day  of  prosperity,  he  will 
go  before  us  in  a  pillar  of  cloud,  and  in  the  night  of  adver- 
sity in  a  pillar  of  fire.  And  whithersoever  he  leads,  the 
Church  may  follow,  with  confidence  and  safety.  No  need 
then  of  any  anxiety — no  need  of  any  collision  on  this 
subject.  All  such  collisions  and  anxieties  are  premature 
and  useless,  and,  therefore,  unsafe.  It  is  a  vain  attempt  to 
push  things  out  of  their  natural  course,  and  change  the 
order  of  God's  providence. 

"Having  said  this  much  upon  the  subject  of  specula- 
tions and  contentions  about  changes  and  reforms  in  our 
ecclesiastical  institutions,  it  becomes  us  to  say,  that  we  do 
not  mean,  by  these  remarks,  to  inculcate  upon  you  an  indif- 
ference to  your  rights  and  privileges  as  a  religious  com- 
munity. None  ought  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  any 
Church,  without  approving  of  its  doctrines  and  discipline. 
This,  in  becoming  members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  you 
have  done.  And  the  privileges  guarantied  to  you  in  that 
Church,  you  ought  to  claim  and  to  contend  for  in  the  spirit 
of  Christian  love.  If  any  essential  alteration  has  been  made, 
or  if  any  should  be  made,  without  your  consent,  you  have 
a  right  to  remonstrate,  and  we  will  use  our  influence  to 
have  your  grievances  redressed.  In  truth,  brethren,  the 
prominent  features  of  Methodism  are  so  guarded  by  the 
restrictive  rules  in  your  Discipline,  limiting  the  powers 
of  the  General  conference,  that  so  long  as  these  are  con- 
sidered sacred,  the  essential  principles  of  your  religion 
cannot  be  easily  changed.  You  thus  have  secured  to  you 
your  articles  of  faith  and  standard  of  doctrines,  the  general 
rules  of  the  societies,  the  privilege  of  trial  by  a  committee, 
and  the  right  of  an  appeal.  In  these  respects,  then,  you  have 
little  to  fear.  We  doubt  not,  dear  brethren,  but  injuries 
may  have  been  sustained  by  you,  as  individuals  and  as  soci- 
eties, in  some  instances,  by  the  indiscretion  and  inexperi- 


CHAP.  Xl.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  291 

ence  of  those  who  have  administered  discipline  among  you. 
These  injuries,  we  hope,  will  be  avoided  in  future.  As  our 
societies  and  preachers  grow  older,  we  shall  have  less  occa- 
sion to  put  young  and  inexperienced  men  in  charge.  And 
we  would  particularly  advise  you  all  to  make  yourselves 
acquainted  with  your  rights  as  Methodists,  and  with  the 
rules  by  which  you  are  to  be  governed.  Then,  if  any  in 
office  step  aside  from  their  duty,  you  will  know  it,  and 
claim  your  rights.  And  if  ihey  persist  in  it,  you  can  rep- 
resent them  to  those  to  whom  they  are  accountable.  Unless 
you  willingly  submit  to  usurpation,  you  cannot  be  oppressed. 
We  exhort  you,  brethren,  while  some  are  contending  for 
greater  rights,  as  they  suppose,  to  be  careful  and  improve 
those  you  have.  If  we,  as  a  people,  ever  fall,  which  may 
Heaven  prevent,  it  will  not  be  because  we  have  so  few 
rights  and  privileges  in  our  Church,  but  because  we  do  not 
improve  those  we  have.  Never,  since  the  apostles'  days, 
has  a  Christian  denomination  been  more  highly  favored: 
therefore,  much  is  required  at  our  hands.  And  are  those 
among  us  that  complain,  the  most  diligent  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  blessings  they  do  possess  ?  Are  not  many  too  negli- 
gent in  this  respect  ?  We  exhort  you,  brethren,  to  be  faithful 
in  your  private  and  social  duties :  forsake  not  the  assembling 
of  yourselves  together,  especially  in  your  classes.  Much 
is  lost  by  our  inattention  to  this  duty.  Let  none  of  your 
excellent  institutions  languish.  If  you  grow  negligent  of 
these  peculiar  privileges  of  your  Church,  such  neglect  will 
be  at  once  both  the  symptom  and  cause  of  backsliding. 
'Keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God.'  And  remember, 
whatever  else  you  have  or  have  not,  there  is  one  right 
which  none  can  wrest  from  you,  and  which,  as  Methodists, 
you  have  great  lielps  to  enjoy — we  mean,  the  right  to  the 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises,  whereby  you  may 
be  made  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature,  and  escape  the 
corruption  that  is  in  the  world,  through  lust.    And  these 


292  EPISTOLARY  CORKESPONDENCE.       [CHAP.  XI. 

promises,  properly  embraced  by  faith,  will  give  you  a  right 
to  the  tree  of  life,  and  ye  shall  enter  in  through  the  gates 
into  the  city. 

"And  now,  brethren,  we  press  upon  you,  one  and  all, 
preachers  and  people,  as  you  prize  your  own  spiritual  life — 
as  you  value  the  souls  of  the  rising  generation  intrusted  to 
your  care — as  you  regard  the  peace  of  the  Church — as  you 
feel  for  a  perishing  world,  lay  aside  every  trifling  specula- 
tion, and  attend  to  the  great  work  of  saving  your  own  souls, 
and  the  souls  of  your  fellow  men. 

"  Live  in  peace.  And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify 
you  wholly ;  and  we  pray  God  that  your  whole  spirit  and 
soul  and  body,  may  be  preserved  blameless,  unto  the  com- 
ing of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you. 
Amen." 

The  Bishop  was  always  either  too  modest,  or  constitu- 
tionally averse,  to  proclaim  who  he  was  when  he  arrived  in 
any  place.  We  have  a  capital  and  somewhat  amusing 
instance  of  this,  in  the  following  narrative,  furnished  us 
from  the  pen  of  Bishop  Morris,  to  whom  Bishop  Roberts 
narrated  it  in  1837,  when  Bishop  Morris  was  on  a  visit  to 
his  house  in  Indiana.  The  precise  time  and  place  of  the 
occurrence,  if  named  by  Bishop  Roberts,  are  not  recollected 
by  the  writer  of  the  anecdote : 

"Bishop  Roberts,  once  traveling  on  horse-back  along  a 
road  with  which  he  was  unacquainted,  inquired  for  a  quiet 
house  of  entertainment  where  he  might  spend  the  night ; 
and  on  recommendation,  went  to  one  without  knowing  the 
character  of  the  man  that  kept  it,  but  who  he  subsequendy 
learned  was  a  local  preacher  of  his  own  denomination.  He 
obtained  leave  to  stay  all  night ;  and  supper  was  provided 
for  him ;  shortly  after  which,  the  landlord  lit  a  candle,  placed 
it  in  a  lantern,  and,  when  about  going  out  of  the  house,  said 
to  the  Bishop,  '  If  you  wish  to  retire  before  we  return,  you 


CHAP.  XI.^        EPISTOLARV  CORRESPONDENCE.  293 

can  take  a  bed  in  the  adjoining  room:  we  are  going  to  a 
meeting.' 

<'  Bishop.  « What  sort  of  a  meeting  is  it  ?' 
^'■Landlord.  'It  is  what  we  Methodists  call  a  class  meet- 
ing.' 

"5.  'I  should  like  to  go  along,  if  it  would  not  be 
intruding.' 

"  L.  '  No  intrusion  at  all :  we  allow  serious  persons  to 
attend  class  meeting  a  few  times,  without  becoming  mem- 
bers, if  they  Avish.' 

"  They  proceeded  together  to  the  meeting,  which  was 
well  attended.  The  class-leader  was  a  young  man  of  much 
zeal  and  litde  experience.  After  speaking  to  all  the  mem- 
bers, he  came  to  the  Bishop,  when  the  following  conversa- 
tion ensued: 

"  L.  '  Well,  stranger,  have  you  any  desire  to  serve  the 
Lord,  and  get  to  heaven  V 

jB.  'I  have  such  a  desire.' 

"  L.  '  How  long  have  you  had  this  desire  ?" 

" jB.  'I  cannot  say  precisely  how  long  now,  but  for 
many  years.' 

"  L.  '  Well,  do  you  think,  old  gentleman,  that  you  know 
any  thing  about  the  enjoyment  of  experimental  religion?' 

"  JB.  '  Yes,  brother,  I  trust  I  do  know,  and  have  known 
a  long  time,  what  experimental  religion  is ;  though  I 
acknowledge  I  have  not  been  as  faithful  as  I  should  have 
been ;  and,  consequently,  have  not  made  that  progress  in 
religion  which  it  was  my  privilege  to  have  made.  Still  I 
have  a  good  hope  in  the  mercy  of  God,  through  Christ, 
that  I  shall  be  saved  in  heaven  at  last.' 

"  The  leader  closed  the  exercises  himself,  in  the  usual 
way,  and  tlie  Bishop  returned  widi  his  host  in  silence. 
After  they  had  been  seated  a  short  time,  a  small  table  was 
placed  in  the  room  with  a  Bible  and  hymn  book.  The 
landlord,  after  deep  study,  looked  at  the  Bible,  then  at  the 
25* 


294  KPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [CHAP.  XI. 

Bishop,  and  again  seemed  to  be  in  a  deep  study.  After  a 
few  more  side  glances,  he  rose,  and  started  toward  the 
table;  then  stopped,  cleared  his  throat,  and  went  to  the 
door  and  spit ;  then  turned  again  toward  the  table ;  but 
finally  stopped,  and  said  to  the  Bishop,  '  Old  gentleman, 
you  appear  to  be  a  man  that  knows  something  of  religion : 
it  is  our  practice  here  to  have  family  worship :  perhaps 
you  would  be  willing  to  read  and  pray  with  us  ?' 

'I  have  no  objection,  brother,  if  you  wish  it.' 

"  He  proceeded  to  read,  sing,  and  pray,  in  his  own  im- 
pressive manner.  The  landlord  then  took  a  candle  and 
showed  him  his  room ;  and  started  out,  got  to  the  door, 
stopped,  turned  round,  hesitated,  and  finally  remarked, 
'  Old  gentleman,  if  it  would  be  no  offense,  I  should  like  to 
know  your  name?' 

"  B.  '  No  offense  at  all,  brother:  my  name  is  Robert  R. 
Roberts.' 

"  When  the  Bishop  related  this  anecdote  to  the  writer, 
he  added,  '  And  they  paid  me  well  for  telling  my  name ; 
for  they  detained  me  two  days,  and  made  me  preach  several 
times.'  I  wished  him  to  tell  me  how  the  young  class- 
leader  looked  about  the  close  of  his  first  sermon,  but  he 
declined  making  any  comments." 

Bishop  Roberts  attended  the  Mississippi  conference,  at 
Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  December  22,  1824.  On  the  clos- 
ing evening  of  the  old  year,  and  the  morning  of  the  new, 
he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  his  brother  Lewis.  From 
it  we  learn  that  his  temporal  concerns  were  by  no  means 
in  a  flourishing  condition : 

"  Although  it  is  the  last  night  of  the  old  year,  and  is 
quite  late,  yet  I  feel  desirous  to  write  you  a  few  lines 
before  I  go  to  rest.  I  have  waited  till  this  late  hour,  in  the 
expectation  that  I  would  hear  from  you  and  my  family 
before  I  left  this  place ;  but  now  my  hopes  are  fled:  in  the 
jnorning  I  start  for  the  South  Carolina  conference,  in  com- 


CHAP.  XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  295 

pany  with  Bishop  Soule.  Old  Sorrel  has  left  me  at  last,  or 
I  have  left  him  ;  for  he  is  dead.  I  have  purchased  another 
horse,  for  which  I  gave  ninety  dollars ;  and  yet  I  fear  he 
will  not  be  able  to  carry  me  long.  At  any  rate  it  makes 
the  funds  run  low. 

"  We  have  had  a  very  pleasant  conference,  and  some 
increase  the  last  year.  The  work  is  spreading,  and  we 
have  sent  three  missionaries  from  this  conference :  one  to 
Mobile,  one  to  New  Orleans,  and  one  to  the  Choctaw  In- 
dians. There  have,  also,  three  been  sent  from  the  Ten- 
nessee conference  to  labor  among  the  Cherokees.  Thus 
the  Lord  is  opening  the  door  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
on  every  side. 

"  I  have  had  many  exercises  of  mind  since  I  left  home.  I 
wrote  to  you  from  Knoxville,  and  told  you  how  matters 
stood  in  reference  to  my  concerns.  I  then  had  some  hope 
that  I  would  have  returned  from  this  place,  but  present  cir- 
cumstances forbid  it ;  and  I  cannot  now  say,  with  any  de- 
gree of  certainty,  when  I  shall  return.  Tell  Betsey,  my 
health  is  good,  and  I  pray  for  her  happiness  night  and  day. 
Tell  Sophia  and  Nancy,  that  I  want  them  to  take  the  labor 
of  the  house  entirely  on  themselves,  so  that  their  aunt  may 
be  free  from  care.  Tell  James  and  George,  to  keep  plenty 
of  wood  and  meal  in  the  house,  and  do  all  they  can  to 
accommodate  their  aunt,  and  make  her  life  comfortable  and 
happy.  And  O,  my  brother,  exhort  them  all  to  serve  the 
Lord,  and  walk  in  the  way  of  his  commandments.  It  is 
now  nearly  midnight,  and  my  old  friend,  the  year  eighteen 
hundred  and  twenty-four,  is  about  to  expire.  God  grant 
that  our  old  sins  may  expire  with  it,  so  that  they  may 
trouble  us  no  more  for  ever ;  and  in  the  new  year,  may  we 
be  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus.    Amen,  and  Amen. 

"P.  S.  It  is  now  January  1st,  1825.  I  thought  I 
should  have  closed  my  letter  last  night;  but  I  still  keep 
writing,  and  I  labor  for  language,  this  morning,  to  express 


296  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

the  desire  I  have  for  your  prosperity.  Receive  my  good 
wishes,  on  this  auspicious  morn,  for  yourself  and  family. 
Farewell." 

The  subjoined  letter  was  also  written  by  Bishop  Roberts 
to  his  brother  Lewis.  It  was  sent  from  Milledgeville, 
Georgia,  and  bears  the  date  of  January  19,  1825.  It  is 
somewhat  similar  in  its  character  to  the  one  just  given, 
showing  that  his  pecuniary  resources  were  exceedingly 
limited. 

"  These  lines  will  inform  you  that  I  am  now  in  the  capital 
of  Georgia,  and  that  Bishop  Soule  is  with  me.  We  start 
to-morrow  for  Sparta;  and  thence  we  shall  proceed  to 
Augusta.  There  we  expect  to  part.  He  intends  going  by 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  I  purpose  going  by  Co- 
lumbia and  Camden  ;  we  expect  to  meet  at  Fayetteville,  the 
seat  of  the  South  Carolina  conference.  After  the  Virginia 
conference  is  over,  I  think  I  shall  return  home.  My  mind 
is  somewhat  perplexed  on  account  of  the  situation  in  which 
our  affairs  stand  in  the  Land  Office.  I  suppose  you  under- 
stood that  I  was  not  able  to  make  any  transfer ;  it  required 
forty-five  or  fifty  dollars  to  close  the  account ;  and  that  sum 
I  had  not  with  me  to  spare.  I  then  thought  that  I  should  be 
able  to  return  before  the  expiration  of  the  time,  but  now  it 
is  somewhat  doubtful.  Beside,  the  purchase  of  a  horse  and 
saddle  has  taken  so  much  of  my  disposable  funds,  that  I 
know  not  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  meet  my  other  engage- 
ments, after  settling  matters  in  the  Land  Office;  and  I  know 
not  but  what  I  am  considerably  indebted  to  you  and  John, 
for  work  done  in  the  bottom.  If  John  has  made  the  rails 
we  agreed  for,  I  am  anxious  to  pay  him  on  my  return.  I 
desire  also  to  be  able  to  meet  my  engagement  with  Lindsay, 
as  he  is  just  entering  into  business ;  for  if  he  were  disap- 
pointed, it  might  be  a  very  great  injury  to  him. 

"  But  perhaps  I  am  too  much  taken  up  with  temporal 
matters,  and  not  sufficiently  engaged  in  the  great  work  of 


CHAt.  XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  297 

my  holy  and  heavenly  calling.  Our  religious  condition  in 
this  quarter,  is  as  good  as  we  could  expect  to  find  it,  when 
we  consider  that  the  great  presidential  question  has  affected 
every  part  of  our  Union,  and  no  part  more  than  this.  The 
winter,  so  far,  has  been  very  mild;  the  weather  has  been 
cloudy ;  we  have  had  much  rain ;  and  the  waters  have  fre- 
quently been  very  high.  I  have  traveled  with  ease  and 
comfort,  considering  the  difficulties  that  I  had  to  encounter. 
My  health  has  been  uniformly  good,  and  my  spirits  much 
refreshed  from  the  consideration  that  these  difficulties  will 
not  always  last,  but  in  due  season  I  shall  reap  if  I  faint  not, 
I  hope  while  I  am  laboring  in  the  cause  of  Zion,  that  my 
family  are  doing  well  at  home.  I  intend,  till  after  the 
silting  of  the  next  conference,  to  v.'rite  to  you  at  every  con- 
venient opportunity.  It  is  almost  dark,  and  I  have  to  go  to 
the  meeting-house  this  evening;  so  I  come  to  a  close. 
Give  my  good  wishes  to  Peggy,  and  the  children;  and 
accept  them  yourself ;  Betsey  is  always  remembered  by  me. 
Tell  her,  I  think  of  her  daily  in  my  prayers.  Sophia, 
James,  and  George,  with  all  the  rest  of  my  relations,  are 
the  subjects  of  ray  prayers  also.  Farewell." 

The  following  letter,  from  Rev.  Wm.  Stevenson  to  Bishop 
Roberts,  written  October,  1825,  will  give  some  idea  of  the 
state  of  the  Church  in  Arkansas,  at  that  period.  Arkansas 
had  then  but  one  district  and  five  circuits,  and  only  three 
preachers  besides  brother  Stevenson,  the  presiding  elder, 
who  also,  we  presume,  traveled  the  Arkansas  circuit. 

"  Being  deprived  of  attending  your  annual  conference,  I 
take  this  method  of  giving  you  some  information  of  the 
work  of  God,  as  far  as  it  has  come  under  my  notice,  during 
the  past  year.  Sometime  last  winter,  perhaps  in  December, 
I  received  my  appointment  as  missionary,  and  also  as  pre- 
siding elder,  ex-officio,  for  the  district  of  Arkansas,  from  your 
secretary,  brother  Scripps.  These  appointments  surprised 
me,  knowing  that  the  Superintendent  was  aware  of  my 


298  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [CIIAP.  XI. 

failure  the  past  year,  through  bodily  inability.  But  I  thought 
it  a  duty  that  I  owed  to  God  and  the  Church,  to  endeavor  to 
fill  those  appointments  as  far  as  I  could. 

'<  With  respect  to  the  fruits  of  my  labors  as  a  missionary, 
I  have  reason  to  believe  that  they  have  been  very  much 
hindered  by  my  appointment  to  the  care  of  the  district.  I 
have,  however,  made  three  tours  this  year  amongst  the 
people  that  I  visited  last  year,  between  Red  River  and 
Washitau,  below  latitude  33°,  where  I  have  had  reason  to 
praise  God  for  some  fruits  of  my  labors.  I  have  organized 
societies  amongst  them.  We  have  forty  members:  leaders 
are  appointed ;  and  they  are  going  on  well,  and  seem  to  be 
pleased  with  Methodism.  I  also  visited  the  town  of 
Natchitoches,  on  Red  River,  and  some  part  of  the  country 
lying  south  and  west  of  said  town,  where,  under  preaching, 
displays  of  the  Divine  power  were  frequently  witnessed,  and 
many  of  the  people  seem  to  be  athirst  for  tiie  word.  We 
have  about  thirty  members  on  that  side  of  the  Red  River 
bordering  on  the  Spanish  line,  and  a  goodly  number  of  them 
are  happy  in  God.  Here  is  sufficient  ground  for  a  four 
weeks'  circuit;  and  the  people  earnestly  solicit  the  attention 
of  the  Bishops,  hoping  they  will  send  them  a  circuit 
preacher  or  missionary,  who  will  labor  on  both  sides  of 
Red  River,  and  also  in  the  town  of  Natchitoches,  as  it  is 
situated  about  the  centre  of  the  circuit.  Wo  have  no  doubt 
but  good  may  be  done  in  that  place  by  one  who  knows  how 
to  win  souls  to  God.  Observe,  that  the  above  circuit  will 
be  connected  with  the  Mississippi  conference,  as  it  is  south 
of  latitude  33°,  and  in  the  state  of  Louisiana. 

"  As  to  the  work  in  Arkansas  district,  it  has  not  been  so 
great  as  we  could  have  wished ;  but  we  have  had  many 
precious  times  at  our  camp  meetings.  Souls  have  been 
converted  to  God.  Whole  congregations  have  been  so 
overawed  by  the  Divine  presence,  that  in  general  we  have 
had  very  few  disorderly  people.    I  think  you  will  find  from 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  299 

the  returns  of  the  preachers,  that  there  has  been  a  considera- 
ble addition  of  members  this  year. 

"As  regards  my  own  experience,  I  can  say  I  know  that 
I  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
think  I  have  enjoyed  a  more  constant  sense  of  the  Divine 
presence  during  the  last  year  than  I  ever  did  before.  I  am 
at  this  time  very  unwell,  and  only  just  able  to  sit  and  write 
at  intervals.  I  have  been  atflicted  with  a  fever  for  four  days 
past,  which  I  fear  will  deprive  me  of  the  privilege  of  attend- 
ing my  two  last  camp  meetings.  But  I  wish  to  be  resigned 
to  my  lot;  and  in  my  severest  pains  and  fevers,  I  know  God 
is  with  me.  Glory  to  his  name,  I  have  a  desire  to  continue 
in  the  itinerant  field,  and  submit  myself  to  any  appoint- 
ment that  may  be  assigned  me.  If  I  were  to  make  a  choice, 
it  would  be  that  of  a  missionary,  as  I  am  happy  in  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  that  office.  I  will,  however,  make  no 
such  choice,  but  say,  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done.  I  have 
given  myself  to  the  Lord  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  will  not 
retract." 

After  the  Bishop's  return  from  the  Missouri  conference, 
about  the  last  of  August,  1825,  the  following  incident  occur- 
red :  The  Rev.  J.  Tarkington,  Rev.  J.  Armstrong,  and  Rev. 
G.  Randall,  on  their  way  to  the  Illinois  conference,  whicli 
sat  that  year  at  Madison,  Indiana,  called  at  the  house  of 
Bishop  Roberts.  Mr.  Randall  being  an  Englishman,  was 
very  desirous  of  seeing  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  He  had  formed  his  views  of  a 
Bishop  and  a  Bishop's  residence,  in  some  degree,  from 
what  he  had  seen  among  the  English  prelates.  When  he 
came  in  sight  of  the  Bishop's  dwelling,  he  found,  to  his 
great  surprise,  that  the  American  Bishop  lived  on  a  farm  in 
a  retired  part  of  the  country,  and  in  a  very  common  house, 
where  there  was  nothing  to  dazzle  the  eye,  and,  moreover, 
where  every  person  was  at  work !  The  Bishop  not  being 
in  the  house  on  their  arrival,  Mrs.  Roberts  informed  Mr. 


300  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

Armstrong  where  he  was,  and  also  where  they  could  find 
feed  for  their  horses.  After  the  horses  had  been  duly 
attended  to  by  the  three  clerical  visitors,  and  all  were  seated 
in  the  room,  the  English  brother  manifested  much  uneasi- 
ness to  see  the  Bishop.  Mr.  Armstrong  requested  him  to 
be  composed,  as  the  Bishop  would  soon  arrive.  Still  he 
would  walk  out ;  but  nevertheless  no  Bishop  could  be  seen. 
As  the  Bishop  had  just  returned  from  the  Missouri  confer- 
ence, he  was  mucli  fatigued,  and  his  horse,  though  a  noble 
animal,  was  nearly  rode  down.  When  in  sight,  Mr.  Arm- 
strong observed  that  the  Bisliop  was  coming.  The  Eng- 
lishman looked  out  with  great  interest,  but  observed  that  he 
saw  no  Bishop.  "  Look  in  the  grass  lot,"  said  Mr. 
Armstrong.  He  looked  again,  and  remarked,  rather  impa- 
tiendy,  "  I  see  a  man  there,  but  no  Bishop."  *'  But  that  is 
certainly  the  Bishop,"  said  Mr.  Armstrong.  "  No !  no ! " 
he  replied,  "  that  cannot  be,  for  the  man  is  in  his  shirt 
sleeves."  By  this  time  the  Bishop  arrived,  and  all  the 
guests  were  introduced  to  him.  The  remarks  that  had  been 
passed  on  him  were  told  the  Bishop.  He  soon  entered  on 
a  pleasant  and  lively  conversation  with  all  of  them  ;  and  the 
rest  of  the  day  was  spent  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
visitors. 

The  benevolence  of  Bishop  Roberts  was  entirely  too 
strong  and  expansive  for  his  means  of  contributing  to  chari- 
table objects.  Though  his  annual  income  was  small,  his 
property  of  very  little  value,  and  several  of  his  relatives, 
who  made  his  house  their  home,  drew  from  his  limited 
stores ;  yet  he  was  always  ready  to  distribute,  diough  by 
tliis  he  miglU  curtail  his  own  comforts,  and  even  his  very 
conveniences  and  necessities.  We  have  a  striking  instance, 
illustrative  of  this,  in  the  brief  narrative  given  below.  It 
was  kindly  furnished  us  by  Bishop  Morris,  as  he  received 
it  from  authentic  sources.  We  will  introduce  it  by 
remarking,  that  the  Bishop  attended  the  Mississippi  con- 


CHAP,  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE. 


301 


ference  at  Washington,  Mississippi,  which  sat  December 
8th,  1825. 

"  In  the  winter  of  perhaps  1825  and  1826,  Bishop  Roberts, 
having  met  his  conferences,  visited  New  Orleans.  The  breth- 
ren there  were  making  an  effort  to  build  a  small  frame  chapel. 
Their  means  were  very  limited ;  and  the  Bishop,  in  order  to 
aid  them,  sold  his  horse  for  one  hundred  dollars,  presented 
the  whole  amount  to  the  trustees,  and  took  passage  on  a 
steamboat  for  Louisville.  On  the  way  up  the  Mississippi, 
one  very  cold  night,  the  boat  struck  a  snag,  which  broke 
through  the  hull.  The  captain  called  for  blankets  to  secure 
the  breach ;  Bishop  Roberts  promptly  flung  down  blanket, 
bed,  and  all,  and  made  the  best  preparation  he  could  for  his 
own  safely.  The  boat  soon  sank,  but  the  passengers  all  got 
safe  on  shore.  The  remainder  of  the  cold,  cheerless  night, 
was  spent  on  the  uninhabitated  coast.  Next  morning, 
Bishop  Roberts  shouldered  his  baggage,  and  set  off  on  foot 
up  the  river.  After  walking  about  seven  miles,  he  came  to 
a  settlement,  where,  with  the  small  amount  of  funds  he  had 
left,  he  bought  a  pony  and  an  old  Spanish  saddle,  and 
turned  down  the  coast  so  as  to  intersect  the  road  from 
Vicksburg  to  Nashville.  The  pony  being  unequal  to  his 
burden,  soon  gave  out.  This  was  a  new  difficulty,  as  the 
Bishop's  funds  were  insufficient  to  buy  another.  Necessity, 
however,  is  fruitful  in  inventing  means,  and  he  exchanged 
the  tired  pony  for  a  mare,  which  had  a  stiff  neck,  and 
carried  her  head  on  one  side  near  the  ground,  on  account 
of  which  she  was  valued  low,  though  a  stout  animal.  Old 
Crook-neck  carried  him  safely  through  the  Indian  country  to 
Nashville,  where  the  brethren  kindly  furnished  him  with  a 
better  horse  and  equipage,  and  likewise  money  to  pay  his 
expenses  home." 

Among  the  letters  in  the  possession  of  Bishop  Roberts, 
we  find  one  from  the  Rev.  Alexander  M'Caine,  dated  July 
6lh,  1826.  Mr.  M'Caine,  at  this  time,  was  preparing  his 
26 


302  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP,  XI. 

attack  on  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  letter 
contains  the  elements  of  those  unfounded  and  ever  false 
charges,  which  were  afterward  drawn  out  into  a  largo 
pamphlet,  entitled  "  The  History  and  Mystery  of  Metlio- 
dist  Episcopacy."  The  annals  of  the  world,  perhaps,  do 
not  furnish  a  list  of  accusations  of  a  more  false  and  virulent 
character  than  these  of  Mr.  M'Caine.  There  are,  however, 
some  who  have  ever  taken  his  unfounded  suspicions  as  his- 
lory.  The  attacks  of  Mr.  Annan  and  Mr.  Musgrave,  in 
opposition  to  the  clearest  testimony  from  authentic  history, 
are  based  on  the  supposition  that  the  gross  misstatements 
of  Mr.  M'Caine  are  unquestioned  and  unquestionable  truths. 
To  such  men  it  is  diflicult  to  give  an  answer,  as  their  ran- 
corous malice  makes  them  blind  to  all  truth,  or  even  right, 
except  what  their  violent  prejudices  may  allow.  To  argue 
with  them  would  be  the  same  as  meeting  the  accusations  of 
tlie  arch-liar  with  grave  and  sober  argument  and  reason. 
Perhaps  all  that  can  or  ought  to  be  done  witli  opponents  of 
this  description,  is  to  follow  the  example  of  Michael,  the 
archangel,  when  contending  with  Satan,  by  simply  saying, 
"The  Lord  rebuke  thee." 

But  the  British  Methodists  have  always  admired  the 
organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  and  they 
now  speak  of  it  as  the  form  of  Church  polity  which  Mr. 
Wesley  himself  chose  for  and  recommended  to  the  Ameri- 
can Methodists.  Indeed,  it  is  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  organization  alone,  that  the  embodiment  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  view  of  Scriptural  Church  polity  can  be  found. 
Mr.  Dixon,  in  his  sermon  on  the  "  Origin,  economy  and 
present  position  of  Methodism,"  expresses  his  own  opin- 
ions, and  those  of  the  whole  British  Weslcyan  Church,  in 
regard  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  following 
words : 

"When  the  United  States  had  effected  their  emancipa- 
tion from  the  mother  country,  Mr.  Wesley  considered  him- 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  303 

self  at  liberty  to  act  with  perfect  freedom  in  the  new  terri- 
tory, and,  we  may  say,  to  develop  his  views  and  opinions 
fully ;  and,  if  we  mistake  not,  it  is  to  the  American  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  that  we  are  to  look  for  the  real 
mind  and  sentiments  of  this  great  man.  Obstructions  re- 
moved, he  instantly  seized  the  opportunity  of  appointing 
an  entire  Church  system,  on  the  principle  of  moderate 
episcopacy.  And  if  we  may  judge  of  the  wisdom  and 
piety  of  the  design  by  its  usefulness  and  success,  certainly 
we  shall  be  prepared  to  consider  it  most  providential.  No 
Church  in  modern  times  has 'made  any  thing  like  the  pro- 
gress which  is  seen  in  this  branch  of  our  community.  But 
the  question  was  introduced,  not  so  much  to  state  the 
amount  of  success  which  followed  the  establishment  of  this 
scheme,  as  to  point  out  the  principle  of  adaptation  observ- 
able in  its  adoption.  We  see,  in  this  case,  that  when  it 
was  discovered  to  be  essential  to  the  well  being  and  growth 
of  a  particular  section  of  the  body,  a  somewhat  differ- 
ent form  of  discipline  and  order  should  be  established  from 
that  which  existed  at  home,  the  thing  was  at  once  effected. 

"It  was  in  this  body,  (the  British  conference,)  in  1769, 
that  the  '  wants  of  our  American  brethren  were  considered, 
and  the  question  asked,  "  Who  is  willing  to  go?"  Two 
of  our  preachers,  Richard  Boardman  and  Joseph  Pilmoor, 
made  the  offer.  They  were  sent,  with  fifty  pounds  for  the 
chapel,  and  twenty  pounds  for  their  own  expenses.'  This 
unaffected  question,  '  Who  will  go  ?'  the  answer  from  two 
brethren,  '  Send  us,'  and  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds  given 
for  the  general  purposes  of  their  mission,  led  to  the  organ- 
ization of  a  Church  which,  if  not  so  already,  is  likely  to 
become  the  greatest  Protestant  body  in  the  world.  We 
speak  advisedly  in  this.  Taking  into  account  the  present 
numbers  and  position  of  the  '  American  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church' — the  wide  area  of  the  United  States — the  rap- 
idly increasing  population  of  the  country — the  adaptation 


304  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

of  their  system  to  meet  the  wants  of  a  scattered  and  new 
population — and,  above  all,  the  completeness  of  their 
Church  order,  which  is  evidently  looked  upon  with  affec- 
tionate and  loyal  veneration  on  the  part  of  the  people — we 
are  furnished  with  moral  data  for  the  conclusion,  that  the 
American  Methodist  Church  must,  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  things,  become  one  of  the  greatest,  if  not  the  very 
greatest,  united  Protestant  body  in  the  world. 

"It  is  true,  that  this  Church  can  only  be  considered  as  in 
its  infancy ;  but  the  progress  already  made,  and  the  spirit 
by  which  it  is  animated,  unite  to  indicate  the  certainty  and 
rapidity  of  its  growth.  With  thirty-three  annual  confer- 
ences— nearly  one  million  of  Church  members,  (now  more 
than  a  million) — a  religious  influence  extending  to  about 
five  millions  of  the  population — almost  four  thousand  or- 
dained ministers — and  upward  of  seven  thousand  local 
preachers — besides  twenty  colleges,  and  one  university,  for 
tlie  promotion  of  education  on  strictly  Christian  principles, 
ia  union  with  the  Church — we  say,  all  these,  in  connection 
with  the  peculiar  character  of  the  country,  present  an  aspect 
of  promise  which  can  leave  no  doubt  on  the  mind  as  to  the 
I'liture.  These  societies  extend  through  the  whole  Union ; 
the  continent  itself  is  the  base  of  this  mighty  moral  opera- 
tion ;  the  older  and  more  populous  cities  yield  their  portion 
of  pious  communicants ;  but  the  remote  wildernesses,  culti- 
vated by  the  laborious  evangelists  of  the  cross,  are  equally 
fruitful.  These  young  communities  are  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  future  events,  whether  religious  or  odierwise,  of 
great  consequence.  It  is  the  seed-time  of  their  existence; 
and  generations  unborn,  to  the  latest  periods,  must  reap  the 
harvest.  This  is  the  exact  position  of  America  at  present. 
Her  widely  extended — almost  illimitable — territory  will  be 
filled  with  living  man ;  her  remaining  forests  will  yield  to 
tlie  aggressions  of  civilization,  and  present  successive  har- 
vests to  industrious  husbandry ;  the  noble  and  magnificent 


CHAP.  XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  305 

rivers  which  sweep  through  her  territories  will  bear  on 
their  banks  an  unthought  of  population ;  in  fact,  it  is  easy 
to  see  that  a  country  so  vast,  varied,  rich  in  resources,  and 
capable  of  every  kind  of  advancement,  and  occupied, 
withal,  by  the  enterprising  cliildren  of  our  own  country, 
must  advance  to  a  greatness  equal  to  any  thing  the  world 
ever  saw.  In  tliis  state  of  incipient  being,  the  first  occu- 
pants of  the  soil,  as  religious  teachers,  secure  a  great  advan- 
tage. This  is  possessed,  not  exclusively,  yet  very  exten- 
sively, by  our  American  brethren.  Led  on  by  their  zeal 
and  devotedness  to  God,  they  have  followed  the  scattered 
settlers  to  their  distant  abodes;  and,  in  the  midst  of  priva- 
tions, labors,  and  difficulties,  such  as  might  make  the 
stoutest  hearts  quaU,  they  have  carried  the  '  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy''  to  these  destitute  people,  and  at  the  same 
time  laid  the  foundations  of  that  Church  which  we  see 
rising  in  such  beautiful  proportions,  magnificence,  and  gran- 
deur. Thus,  blending  with  the  very  elements  of  society, 
in  its  young  and  vigorous  pulsations,  Methodism  will,  at 
least  in  its  forms,  expand  with  the  social  body.  May  its 
doctrines,  its  spirit,  and  its  experimental  features,  equally 
grow !" 

The  ensuing  letter,  addressed  to  Bishop  Roberts,  gives 
some  interesting  events,  which  will  be  read  with  satisfac- 
tion. It  was  written  by  Bishop  M'Kendree,  at  Baltimore, 
and  bears  the  date  of  July  5th,  1826: 

"My  health  is  strangely  improved.  I  have  attended  the 
Virginia,  Baltimore,  Philadelpliia,  New  York,  and  Genesee 
conferences,  and  am  so  far  on  my  way  to  tlie  south,  in  good 
health.   Thanks  be  to  God  for  his  long  continued  goodness ! 

"  We  were  greatly  disappointed  in  not  seeing  you  in  Bal- 
timore last  spring.  No  messenger  appointed  to  England. 
Nothing  done  on  any  subject !  If  you  wish  for  particulars 
apply  to  Bishop  Soule. 

"The  preachers  received  and  treated  me  kindly,  par- 
26* 


306  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

ticularly  at  the  Genesee  conference.  The  business  has 
been  conducted  in  a  peaceable  and  agreeable  way  at  all  the 
conferences  that  I  have  attended ;  and,  upon  the  whole,  the 
Church  is  encouraged  to  be  thankful,  and  to  hope  for  better 
days.  Could  the  preachers  be  provoked  to  a  more  ener- 
getic and  uniform  administration  of  our  Discipline,  all 
would  soon  be  well.  I  have  just  received  a  long  letter 
from  our  friend  and  brother,  Reece,  in  England,  with  some 
interesting  remarks  on  discipline.  He  presents  his  affec- 
tionate regard  to  you. 

"  Our  missionary  system  has  been  touched  in  this  quarter. 
For  particulars  I  refer  you  to  Bishop  Soule.  I  hope  it  will 
triumph ;  but  its  success  very  much  depends  on  the  Bish- 
ops. The  constitution  of  our  missionary  society,  like  our 
itinerant  system,  and  the  holy  Scriptures,  authorizes  us  to 
send  missionaries,  or  preachers,  to  the  poor  and  destitute, 
wherever  they  are  found ;  but  it  does  not  command  us  to 
do  so.  In  this  respect,  we  are  invested  with  a  discretionary 
power,  and  held  responsible  for  the  exercise  of  that  power. 
Therefore,  I  would  say, 

"1.  We  should  judiciously  select  the  field  for  mission- 
aries who  are  to  be  supported  from  the  funds  collected  for 
that  purpose.  We  are  particularly  amenable  for  the  appli- 
cation of  those  funds.  The  work  should  be  extended  in 
the  ordinary  way  of  our  itinerant  operations,  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable, in  order  to  improve  the  funds  to  the  best  advantage 
with  those  who  cannot  be  reached  in  this  way. 

"2.  The  missionaries  should  be  carefully  selected.  Men 
should  be  appointed  who  are  best  qualified  to  carry  the  de- 
sign of  the  mission  into  effect :  that  is,  to  carry  the  saving 
truths  of  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  and  destitute — not  to 
accommodate  the  poor  or  debilitated  minister. 

"  3.  At  each  conference,  let  the  Bishops  attend  to  the 
state  of  the  missions  within  its  bounds,  make  necessary 
arrangements,  give  suitable  instructions,  and  immediately 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE. 


307 


report  to  the  mother  society  the  state,  the  changes,  and  all 
the  interesting  particulars  relative  to  each  station ;  and  enjoin 
it  on  the  superintending  missionaries  respectively,  to  give 
quarterly  information  to  the  Bishops,  and  to  the  coiTespond- 
ing  secretary,  respecting  the  state  and  progress  of  the  mis- 
sions under  their  care,  together  witli  profitable  anecdotes,  in 
interesting  matter  extracted  from  their  journals,  as  they  may 
judge  profitable  and  proper.  From  this  let  the  editors 
extract  for  the  magazine  and  missionary  notices.  In  this 
way,  connected  with  particular  information,  the  auxiliary 
and  branch  societies  will  be  furnished  with  matter  for  their 
reports;  while  the  Church  and  the  public  will  be  informed 
of  what  is  doing,  and  thereby  stimulated  to  help  us  to  carry 
on  the  good  work. 

"  Notwithstanding  our  opposers  write  and  talk  much,  our 
prospects  are  much  more  encouraging  than  they  have  been. 
I  would  visit  all  the  conferences  if  I  could. 

"  I  could  say  much,  but  it  is  not  necessary.  You  will 
have  interviews  with  our  beloved  brother  Armstrong,  and 
Bishop  Soule,  and  hear  by  the  word  of  mouth.  Be  sure 
to  visit  Baltimore  next  spring,  and  see  how  they  do. 

"  My  respects  to  sister  Roberts.  Farewell." 

The  subjoined  letter  was  sent  by  Bishop  Soule  to  Bishop 
Roberts,  from  Cincinnati,  and  is  dated  July  16,  1827,  the 
day  on  which  Bishop  Soule  met  with  M'Caine's  pamphlet. 
The  perusal  of  his  first  impressions  relative  to  this  slander- 
ous work  will  be  gratifying  to  the  reader. 

"I  left  Baltimore  on  the  11th  of  May,  and  anived  in 
Cincinnati,  with  my  family,  in  ten  days,  exclusive  of  the 
Sabbath,  on  which  we  did  not  travel,  spending  one  in 
Hagerstown,  and  the  other  in  Wheeling.  My  family  is  as 
well  as  usual,  and  settled,  for  the  present,  in  Lebanon. 

"  We  had  a  remarkable  pleasant  time  on  our  journey,  and 
did  not  sustain  the  least  injury  or  unfavorable  incident, 
either  with  respect  to  ourselves,  carriages  or  horses.  Bishop 


308  EPISTOLARY  CORBESPONDfiNCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

M'Kendree  accompanied  us  to  Uniontown,  at  the  rate  of 
from  thirty-five  to  forty  miles  a  day,  and  endured  the  travel 
very  well.  He  has  since  been  to  Sandusky,  on  horse- 
back, being  obliged  to  leave  his  carriage  and  traveling  com- 
panion at  Lancaster,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  his 
sorrel  horse.  He  came  through  Urbana,  Xenia,  Lebanon, 
and  on  to  Chillicothe  in  the  same  manner,  where  he  met 
the  carriage,  with  the  lame  horse  then  nearly  recovered. 

"If  my  health,  which  is  but  feeble  at  present,  and  provi- 
dential circumstances  will  admit,  I  should  wish  to  attend  the 
ensuing  session  of  the  Missouri  conference.  If  you  will 
write  me  a  line  to  Lebanon,  and  let  me  know  the  day  you 
will  set  out  for  St.  Louis,  I  will,  in  case  I  go,  call  at  your 
house,  and  accompany  you.  Mr.  M'Caine'sbook,  purport- 
ing to  prove  that  the  government  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  has  been  'surreptitiously'  introduced,  without  the 
recommendation  or  approval  of  Mr.  Wesley,  has,  at  last, 
made  its  appearance.  The  author  has  made  a  free  use  of 
the  names  and  acts  of  the  present  Superintendents,  especially 
the  three  seniors,  M'K.,  G.,  and  R.  I  have,  this  morning, 
read  the  work  from  beginning  to  end,  consisting  of  between 
seventy  and  eighty  octavo  pages,  closely  printed.  I 
think  him  exceedingly  vulnerable  in  all  the  important  points 
which  he  attempts  to  establish,  and  that  less  than  half  the 
number  of  pages,  in  answer,  might  furnish  a  complete  refu- 
tation of  every  point  where  the  validity  of  the  government, 
or  the  honesty  of  Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Asbury  are  called  in 
question.    Yours,  with  much  esteem  and  affection." 

At  the  General  conference  of  1828,  no  new  Bishops  were 
elected,  in  consequence  of  which  the  labors  of  the  Bishops, 
at  that  time  in  the  Church,  were  truly  onerous.  This  drew 
from  three  of  them,  M'Kendree,  Roberts,  and  Soule,  the 
following  expression  of  opinion.  The  document  was 
written  at  Pittsburg,  and  is  dated  May  23,  1828. 

"  Such  is  the  debility  of  several  of  the  Bishops,  and  such 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  309 

the  extent  and  weight  of  the  episcopal  charge,  that  we  think 
it  would  be  incompatible  with  the  present  state  of  things,  and 
highly  improper,  to  increase  the  labors  of  the  general  Super- 
intendents, by  constituting  any  new  conference  under  the 
existing  circumstances ;  and  that  it  ought  not  to  be  done 
without  the  concurrence  of  a  majority  of  the  Bishops." 

On  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Bishop  George,  the  fol- 
lowing letter  was  also  written  by  Bishop  Soule  to  Bishop 
Koberts.  It  has  the  date  of  October  6,  1828,  and  was  sent 
from  Lebanon,  Ohio. 

"  My  tour  to  Missouri  was  very  wearisome,  but  the  con- 
ference was  peaceful  and  pleasant.  All  things  considered, 
the  prospects  are  encouraging.  The  death  of  our  dear  col- 
league, Bishop  George,  will,  as  a  matter  of  course,  derange 
our  plan  of  operation,  and  render  it  necessary  for  us  to 
meet  and  make  an  arrangement  for  our  future  labors.  I 
would  have  been  with  you  at  Madison,  but  for  the  existence 
of  circumstances  which  I  could  not  control. 

'<  As  you  will  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Kentucky 
conference,  I  presume  it  will  not  be  very  inconvenient  for 
you  to  meet  me  there,  when  we  can  fix  on  a  plan  to  fill  up 
the  work  in  the  best  way  possible.  Please  to  write  me  a 
line  immediately  on  receiving  this,  and  let  me  know  if  you 
will  meet  me  there,  and  if  you  purpose  going  directly  from 
Madison  to  Shelby  ville,  so  as  to  be  present  at  the  opening 
of  the  conference.  If  so,  I  think  I  would  spend  the  Sab- 
bath previous  to  the  conference  in  Cincinnati  and  come  in 
the  second  day. 

«'  Yours,  with  much  affection  and  esteem." 

We  are  indebted  to  the  excellent  sermon  of  the  Rev. 
Calvin  Ruler,  for  the  annexed  very  interesting  account 
illustrative  of  the  "equanimity  and  self-possession"  of  the 
Bishop.  It  is  a  letter  from  Dr.  J.  H.  Brower,  to  the  author 
of  the  sermon. 

"  Dear  Sir, — An  incident  having  occurretl  in  my  inter- 


310  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

course  with  the  late  venerated  and  lamented  Bishop  Roberts, 
strongly  illustrative  of  his  characteristic  equanimity  and 
self-possession,  and  at  the  same  time  an  instance  of  a 
remarkable  providential  preservation  from  a  most  imminent 
peril,  I  have  thought  that  it  might  be  interesting  to  you  to 
have  the  particulars  of  the  occurrence : 

"  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1838  or  1829,  the  good  Bishop 
stopped  at  my  house  at  Elizabethtown,  Ohio,  on  his  way 
from  his  residence  in  Indiana  to  Cincinnati.  As  a  quarterly 
meeting  was  to  commence  the  next  day,  he  was  persuaded 
to  remain  during  its  progress,  and  he  preached  two  or  three 
times,  to  the  great  delight  and  profit  of  a  large  audience.  I 
well  remember  one  discourse  which  he  preached  at  sun-rise 
on  Sabbath  morning,  from  the  eighth  verse  of  the  57th  Psalm, 
'  Awake  up,  my  glory  :  awake  psaltery  and  harp  :  I  myself 
will  awake  early.'  The  unwonted  hour  of  public  worship, 
the  impressiveness  and  patriarchal  simplicity  of  his  manner, 
and  the  earnestness  and  force  with  which  he  set  forth  the 
duty  of  a  constant  spirit  of  thankfulness,  gave  his  sermon 
an  effect  which,  I  doubt  not,  many  of  his  hearers  have  never 
forgotten  ;  and,  in  connection  with  the  incidents  of  the  fol- 
lowing day,  have  left  an  impression  on  my  own  mind  as 
vivid  and  fresh  as  if  it  had  transpired  but  yesterday.  The 
Miami  and  Whitewater  Rivers,  which  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  cross  in  order  to  get  to  his  appointment  at  Cincinnati 
on  Monday  evening,  were  then  unusually  high,  so  that  the 
ferries  at  the  usual  places  had  been  obstructed  for  several 
days ;  and,  as  he  manifested  a  great  anxiety  to  go  on,  I 
proposed  to  him  to  set  him  over  both  rivers,  below  their 
junction,  in  a  small  flat-boat,  which  I  used  for  my  pri- 
vate convenience  at  that  point,  and  where  I  supposed  we 
might  cross  in  perfect  safety.  Accordingly,  on  Monday 
morning  the  good  Bishop,  with  the  mail-carrier,  (who  had 
been  waiting  for  several  days  to  get  over  the  streams,)  went 
on  to  the  mouth  of  Whitewater,  where  the  ferry-flat  lay ; 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  311 

and,  with  two  men  who  usually  took  me  over,  and  myself 
as  steersman,  we  embarked :  the  current  was  exceedingly 
rapid,  and  when  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance  across, 
(the  rowers  laboring  with  all  their  strength  at  the  oars,)  the 
lower  oar  suddenly  snapped  in  twain  !  Thus  leaving  us  at 
the  mercy  of  the  raging  stream.  As  we  were  rapidly  float- 
ing toward  a  large  mass  of  drift-wood  lodged  just  below  us, 
against  which  had  we  struck,  we  should  in  an  instant  have 
been  dashed  to  pieces,  the  only  alternative  was  to  steer 
the  boat  among  a  number  of  large  trees,  partly  under  water, 
and  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  from  the  shore.  This  we 
attempted ;  and  instantly,  as  the  gunwale  of  the  boat  struck 
a  tree,  the  force  of  the  current  against  the  upper  side  pressed 
it  down,  so  that  the  water  poured  over  it  in  mass,  and  filled 
it  almost  in  a  moment.  At  this  fearful  juncture,  I  cried  out 
to  the  Bishop  to  let  go  his  horse  and  drive  him  overboard, 
which  he  did  promptly,  while  a  blow  from  the  broken  oar 
drove  the  mail-carrier's  horse  after  him.  By  this  expedient 
the  load  of  the  boat  was  so  lightened  that,  by  great  exertion, 
it  was  pushed  off  from  the  tree,  and  got  to  the  shore,  full 
of  water,  and  in  a  moment  after  sunk.  The  horses  made 
their  way  to  the  shore  some  two  hundred  yards  below  us 
uninjured,  the  mail  bags  only  being  lost. 

"  During  this  fearful  crisis,  the  Bishop  maintained  a  per- 
fect calmness  and  self-command,  to  which,  in  a  great  degree, 
we  owed  our  preservation.  And,  upon  our  reaching  the 
shore,  he  quietly  spread  out  his  handkerchief  on  the  wet  and 
muddy  ground,  and  kneeling  down,  several  minutes  elapsed 
before  his  or  our  own  overflowing  hearts  (overwhelmed 
with  a  sense  of  Divine  mercy  and  goodness  in  our  wonderful 
preservation  from  a  watery  grave)  could  give  utterance  to 
our  feelings.  He  then  broke  out  in  the  beautiful  language 
of  the  46th  Psalm,  '  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength ;  a  very 
present  help  in  trouble.  Therefore  will  not  we  fear,  though 
the  earth  be  removed,  and  though  the  mountains  be  carried 


312  EPISTOLAPY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

into  the  midst  of  the  sea ;  though  the  waters  thereof  roai 
and  be  troubled.'  And  then,  in  a  strain  of  thanksgiving, 
poured  out  such  a  burst  of  grateful  acknowledgment  for, 
and  reliance  upon,  the  sustaining  and  preserving  mercies  of 
God,  as  befitted  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  and  the 
greatness  of  the  escape.  Then  addressing  me,  he  said, 
'  My  brother,  the  Lord  has  work  for  us  to  do  yet,  and  has 
yet  mercies  in  store  for  us.  Let  us  learn  never  to  distrust 
his  power  or  willingness  to  preserve,  and  never  to  shrink 
from  the  straight  forward  path  of  duty,  or  the  work  to 
which  he  has  appointed  us.  "  Commit  thy  way  unto  him, 
and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass." '  After  accompanying  the 
holy  man  to  a  neighboring  house,  where  he  was  hospitably 
received,  and  drying  his  wet  garments,  he  went  on  his 
way,  and  reached  his  appointment  in  season,  leaving  an  im- 
pression upon  my  mind,  which  the  lapse  of  lime  has  never 
lessened,  that,  under  Divine  providence,  to  his  own  quiet 
and  assured  deportment  and  self-command,  and  the  influence 
•which  these  had  upon  us  all,  we  owed  our  preservation  from 
one  of  the  most  imminent  scenes  of  peril  which  it  has  ever 
been  my  lot  to  witness  or  partake  in. 

"  In  frequent  subsequent  interviews,  the  good  Bishop 
would  revert  to  the  scene,  and  always  with  the  remark 
that  his  work  was  not  then  done,  and  that  a  special  design 
for  good  was  iatended  in  Divine  mercy  by  our  singular 
preservation." 

Mr.  Ruter,  in  commenting  on  the  foregoing  incident,  says, 
<'  We  have  here  brought  to  view  the  true  principle  of  his 
fearless  perseverance  in  the  path  of  duty — a  firm  confidence 
in,  and  reliance  upon  the  power  .ind  goodness  of  God. 
This  is,  indeed,  tlie  principle  of  all  moral  courage;  and  it 
was  this  which  enabled  our  venerated  Bishop  to  meet  danger, 
and  to  face  opposition  without  fear ;  for  he  never  quailed  in 
presence  of  the  most  violent  and  determined  opposers  of 
truth,  but  'he  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible.'" 


CHAP.  XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  313 

We  make  another  extract  from  the  sermon  of  Mr.  Ruter, 
in  which  an  incident  is  given  exhibiting  the  Bishop's  fine 
natural  powers  as  a  preacher,  and  the  remarkable  effect 
produced  on  his  hearers  when  his  lips  were  "  touched  with 
hallowed  fire." 

"I  well  recollect  that,  when  attending  the  Missouri  con- 
ference, which  lield  its  annual  session  in  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  in  the  fall  of  1823,  I  became  acquainted  with  an 
intelligent  military  officer  of  high  rank,  who,  at  that  time,  I 
think,  had  charge  of  a  military  post  on  the  frontier,  high  up 
the  Missouri  River.  On  one  occasion,  while  in  conversa- 
tion, he  inquired  if  Bishop  Roberts  would  be  there  during  the 
sitting  of  the  conference  ;  and  being  informed  that  he  would 
not,  he  expressed  great  regret,  remarking  tliat  he  had  heard 
the  Bishop  preach  once,  and  would  go  a  considerable  dis- 
tance to  enjoy  the  privilege  again.  He  added,  'I  was  in 
the  city  when  your  conference  held  a  previous  session  here, 
and  learning  that  Bishop  Roberts  was  to  preach,  I  went  lo 
hear  him.  When  I  arrived,  the  chapel  was  so  much 
crowded  that  it  was  with  difiiculty  I  obtained  a  seat  just 
inside  the  door.  I  saw  the  Bishop  sitting  in  the  pulpit; 
but,  having  been  out  on  a  long  frontier  tour,  (as  I  afterward 
learned,)  his  apparel  looked  rather  rusty,  and  I  did  not 
suppose  that  could  be  he.  At  length  he  arose  to  begin  the 
service.  I  then  thought  it  probable  that  the  Bishop  was  ill, 
and  that  this  venerable  looking  man  was  put  up  to  fill  his 
place.  I  felt  disappointed,  but  thought  that  I  would  wait  a 
little,  and  hear  what  he  had  to  say.  He  commenced  reading, 
and  I  soon  found  I  had  mistaken  my  man.  After  the  hymn 
was  sung  he  knelt  and  prayed — and  such  a  prayer !  He 
read  his  text  and  commenced  preaching,  and  I  soon  became 
so  deeply  interested  in  the  speaker  and  liis  subject  as  to  lose 
sight  of  every  thing  besides ;  and  when  I  next  came  to 
myself,  I  found  that  I  had  insensibly  arisen  from  my  seat, 
pressed  through  the  crowded  aisle,  and  was  standing  near 


314  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [CHAP.  XI. 

the  pulpit,  my  hands  uplifted,  my  eyes  and  my  mouth  open, 
and  I  was  weeping  with  all  my  might.  And  O,  it  did  me 
so  much  good  to  weep !  I  verily  thought  that  every  body 
in  the  house  was  weeping  too.'  Such  was  the  influence 
produced  upon  the  mind  of  this  gentleman,  (and  he,  by  the 
way,  an  irreligious  man,)  according  to  his  own  showing,  by 
the  heavenly  eloquence  which  fell  from  the  lips  of  our  dear 
departed  Roberts. 

"  But  we  need  not  go  thus  far  to  find  living  witnesses  to 
the  power  and  influence  which  attended  his  ministry. 
Many  who  hear  me  at  this  hour  still  remember,  nay,  they 
will  never  forget,  in  what  melting  strains  of  holy  eloquence 
(when  standing  in  the  tented  grove  on  the  summit  of  a 
neighboring  hill)  he  spoke  of  the  truth  and  sufficiency  of 
Divine  revelation,  while  the  numerous  and  admiring  crowd, 
having  pressed  near  the  consecrated  altar,  listened  in  death- 
like stillness,  until  the  tears  and  groans  of  the  penitent,  and 
the  half  suppressed  shouts  of  joy  which  burst  from  the 
bosoms  of  the  pious,  told,  in  language  not  to  be  misunder- 
stood, with  what  heavenly  skill  he  had  been  enabled  to 
wield  the  Spirit's  sword." 

The  letter  that  follows,  was  sent  by  Bishop  Soule  to  the 
Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  from  Leba- 
non. It  shows  their  liability  to  sickness  from  a  frequent 
change  of  climate.    The  date  is  April  8,  1829: 

"  Since  my  return  from  the  Mississippi  conference,  my 
health  has  greatly  declined,  and  weakness  and  pain  are  my 
constant  attendants.  I  have  attempted  to  preach  but  four 
times  since  the  1st  of  February,  and  each  time  have 
suflTered  much.  I  have  great  weakness  and  pain  of  the 
breast,  with  occasional  discharge  of  blood  from  the  lungs, 
accompanied  with  distressing  cough.  I  have  not  been  so 
much  like  a  skeleton  for  many  years.  I  attribute  my  aflHic- 
tions,  in  a  great  measure,  to  a  change  of  climate — coming 
from  the  south  at  an  unfavorable  season,  and  meeting  an 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  315 

unusually  severe  Avinter  in  the  west.  Since  the  winter  has 
broken,  and  the  weather  become  more  mild,  the  unfavorable 
symptoms,  which  seriously  admonished  me  of  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  '  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle,'  have  con- 
siderably abated,  so  as  to  encourage  the  hope  that  I  shall  be 
able  to  take  the  field  of  labor  in  conformity  with  the  arrange- 
ments which  you  may  adopt  for  future  operations.  But  I 
am  under  the  apprehension,  unpleasant  as  it  is,  that  I  shall 
be  compelled  to  change  the  saddle  for  wheels.  My  loins 
have  given  way.  My  two  last  routes  have  been  attended 
with  great  weakness,  and  much  pain  in  the  region  of  the 
kidneys,  accompanied  with  the  usual  obstructions.  Band- 
ages, and  plasters,  and  pills,  have  been  my  refuge  for  relief. 
But  in  the  midst  of  all,  I  greatly  rejoice  to  see  and  hear  the 
prosperity  of  our  Zion.  Surely  God  is  with  us;  and 
although  men  of  corrapt  minds,  restless  and  ambitious, 
may,  for  a  time,  disturb  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the 
'body  of  Chrisl,'  if  we  preserve  the  purity  of  the  doctrin'e 
and  discipline  of  '  our  fathers,'  the  rashness  and  folly  of 
these  aspiring  men  will  soon  be  exposed,  and  their  schemes 
of  innovation  rendered  abortive. 

"  From  a  notice  in  the  last  '  Itinerant,^  I  am  led  to  sup- 
pose that  Bishop  Hedding  did  not  attend  the  Baltimore  con- 
ference ;  and,  consequently,  that  no  definite  arrangements 
were  made  there  for  our  future  plan  of  traveling.  I  trust 
he  will  be  at  Philadelphia,  where  you  will  be  able  to  settle 
the  plan  for  the  three  years  to  come.  I  wish  it  to  be  ex- 
plicidy  understood,  as  I  think  it  was  by  Bishop  Roberts 
and  myself,  at  our  last  interview  on  the  subject,  that  as 
my  situation  would  not  admit  of  my  being  present  Avith 
you  in  council,  I  shall  most  cheerfully  and  willingly  move 
in  accordance  with  the  plan  you  shall  adopt,  ready  to  take 
the  work,  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability,  at  any  time,  or  at 
any  point  on  the  continent.  I  should  be  glad  to  have  the 
earliest  information  from  vou. 


316  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

"I  am,  dear  brethren,  yours,  with  much  affection  and 
esteem." 

The  following  letter  was,  also,  sent  by  Bishop  Soule  to 
the  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  from  the 
same  place.    It  bears  the  date  of  October  17,  1829: 

"  The  circumstances  under  which  I  am  placed  seem  to 
require  that  I  should  be  absent  from  the  Kentucky  confer- 
ence. On  my  arrival  at  home,  which  was  delayed  for  sev- 
eral days  after  I  left  Bishop  Roberts,  on  account  of  the  sick- 
ness of  ray  horse,  I  found  one  of  my  daughters  (Jane) 
dangerously  sick  with  bilious  fever,  in  its  worst  forms.  A 
council  of  physicians  had  been  called  the  day  before  my 
arrival,  and  the  symptoms  of  the  case  were  considered  as 
alarming.  I  have  been  constant  in  watching  for  more  than 
a  week  past,  not  having  left  her  chamber  but  one  night  for 
that  time,  fully  assured  that  all  depended  (under  God)  on 
the  most  careful  and  constant  attention.  By  the  blessing 
of  Heaven,  she  appears  now  to  be  in  a  hopeful  way  of  re- 
covery ;  but,  such  is  the  delicacy  of  her  state,  that  a  relapse, 
which  is  not  uncommon  in  similar  cases,  must  almost  inev- 
itably prove  fatal.  I  regret  that  I  could  not  meet  Bishop 
M'Kendree  at  Cincinnati,  as  he  requested ;  but  the  circum- 
stances which  prevented  it  I  could  not  control.  I  would 
think  it  advisable  for  the  Bishop  to  get  into  quiet  winter 
quarters  as  early  as  possible  after  the  close  of  the  Kentucky 
conference,  before  the  rainy  season  commences  and  the 
roads  become  bad.  Would  it  not  be  well  for  him  to  spend 
the  winter,  or,  at  least,  tlie  greater  part  of  it,  in  Nasliville, 
where  the  climate  is  favorable,  and  his  friends  would  accom- 
modate him  with  great  pleasure  ? 

"I  think  it  will  be  entirely  impracticable  to  meet  the 
western  conferences,  in  conformity  to  the  last  plan,  with 
regard  to  time.  Say,  the  Missouri  and  Illinois  in  Septem- 
ber, and  the  Kentucky  and  Holston  in  October.  Agreeably 
to  this  plan,  I  have  appointed  the  Missouri  and  Illinois  in 


CHAP.  XI.3        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  317 

September ;  but  the  latter  on  the  last  day,  giving  only  suffi- 
cient time  between  them  ;  and  yet  I  find  it  will  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  get  to  the  Missouri  from  the  Ohio  con- 
ference. It  is,  indeed,  desirable  to  keep  the  whole  work  as 
much  in  a  circuit  as  practicable.  But  it  would,  I  appre- 
hend, be  much  safer,  in  regard  to  the  certainty  of  attend- 
ance, to  give  sufficient  time  to  move  from  one  conference  to 
another,  within  each  division,  and  let  the  conferences  in  one 
division  begin  before  they  close  in  another.  In  this  view, 
I  should  think  it  would  be  best  to  appoint  the  Kentucky 
conference  so  as  to  give  sufficient  time  to  travel  from  the 
Illinois,  although  it  should  necessarily  push  the  time  of  the 
Holston  beyond  the  limits  of  the  plan.  And  as  the  Ten- 
nessee is  the  commencement  of  another  division,  it  may  be 
appointed  without  any  particular  regard  to  the  time  of  the 
Holston,  as  may  be  found  most  convenient. 

"  Yours,  with  much  affection  and  esteem." 

The  annexed  letter  was  received  by  Bishop  Roberts 
from  Rev.  C.  Holliday,  then  agent  of  the  Book  Concern 
at  Cincinnati.    It  is  dated  August  22,  1829: 

"Before  I  commenced  preparing  the  accounts  of  the 
Missouri  conference,  it  was  my  intention  to  be  in  my 
place  at  Urbana;  but,  as  I  proceeded  in  those  accounts,  I 
began  to  doubt:  and,  after  I  had  gone  through  the  accounts 
of  both  conferences,  and  compared  difficulties,  I  concluded 
it  would  be  best  for  me  to  go  to  the  Missouri. 

*'  I  liave  had  a  year  of  the  greatest  labor  I  ever  had,  and 
my  trials  and  difficulties  have  been  new  to  me ;  but  hitherto 
the  Lord  lias  helped  me.  I  have  sometimes  doubted  whether 
I  should  be  able  to  sustain  the  labor ;  but,  blessed  be  the  Lord, 
he  has  renewed  my  strength  from  time  to  time.  My  mind 
has,  in  general,  been  kept  in  peace,  except  when  employed 
in  business.  I  am  as  retired  here  as  I  could  be  in  the  silent 
grove. 

"  I  think  I  feel  myself  as  much  as  ever  devoted  to  the 
27* 


318  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  XI. 

Lord,  and  the  work  of  the  Lord.  I  have  borne  about  me 
continual  regret,  for  near  twenty  years,  that  I  hesitated  so 
long  before  I  entered  on  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  that 
I  am  still  so  unprofitable  in  it. 

"I  have,  however,  seen  much  of  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord.  I  cannot  write  without  sensibly  feeling  the  kindlings 
of  devoui  and  Christian  affections.  The  fathers  have  borne 
with  my  weakness  and  foolishness.  The  brothers  have 
uniformly  opened  my  way,  and  been  ready  to  hold  me  up 
and  aid  me  in  the  great  work.  The  sons  in  the  ministry 
have,  indeed,  treated  me  with  more  than  due  respect. 
They  are  a  lovely  company ;  and  I  congratulate  you  and 
your  honored  colleagues  on  the  blessed  prospect  that  pre- 
sents itself  to  you,  that  they  and  their  successors  will  per- 
petuate the  blessed  work  in  which  you  have  been  so  suc- 
cessfully employed,  to  the  latest  posterity.  The  people, 
with  open  hearts,  as  well  as  open  doors,  and  sometimes 
with  tears  of  Christian  affection,  have  received  me  as  an 
angel  of  God ;  and  now,  what  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord 
for  all  his  gracious  benefits  ?  I  can  only  take  the  cup  of 
salvation,  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

"  This  is  the  state  of  my  mind,  and  I  heartily  pray  that 
you  and  your  honored  colleagues  and  helpers  may  long 
live  and  see  the  good  work — the  work  of  God — prospering 
in  your  unwearied  hands  more  and  more  abundantly.  I 
remain,  with  true  respects  to  you  and  Bishop  M'Kendree, 
(if  he  is  at  the  conference,) 

"  Yours,  and  his,  in  the  Lord." 

The  subjoined  letter  was  sent  by  Bishop  M'Kendree, 
while  at  his  brother's,  to  Bishop  Roberts.  It  has  the  date 
of  November  11,  1829. 

"  Circumstances  prevent  me  from  proceeding  further  at 
present ;  nor  can  I  determine  on  any  plan  for  future  opera- 
tions. I  intend,  if  the  Lord  will,  to  visit  the  Churches  next 
summer  as  extensively  as  I  can,  probably  the  west.  In 


CHAP.   XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  319 

such  an  event,  I  should  be  glad  of  a  traveling  companion. 
Upon  the  whole,  I  prefer  brother  Crist,  for  this  purpose. 
I  have  spoken  to  him  on  the  subject,  and  it  meets  his  appro- 
bation. As  far  as  I  can  learn,  his  return  to  the  circuit  will 
be  acceptable  and  profitable.  An  appointment,  therefore, 
to  thiJ,  or  on  any  other  circuit,  where  he  could  conveniently 
visit  me  here  or  about  Nashville,  with  an  understanding  to 
accompany  me  next  summer,  if  I  am  able  to  travel,  if  not, 
for  him  to  continue  in  the  work,  would  be  an  accommoda- 
tion both  to  him  and  to  me. 

"Yours  in  the  bonds  of  the  Gospel." 

The  Rev.  Jesse  Walker  was  one  of  the  leading  pioneers 
of  the  west.  The  letter  given  below,  written  at  Chicago, 
Illinois,  dated  November  25,  1830,  and  addressed  to  Bishop 
Roberts,  will  show  what  manner  of  persons  those  were  who 
planted  Methodism  in  the  great  valley. 

"  After  my  best  respects  to  you,  I  will  give  an  account 
of  my  labors  since  conference.  I  reached  Chicago  suffi- 
ciently soon  to  meet  the  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  payment; 
but  the  agent  was  on  his  death-bed,  and  he  died  a  few  days 
after;  so  tliat  no  council  could  be  held,  or  any  thing,  in 
short,  be  done  with  them.  At  length,  after  five  days  starv- 
ing and  drinking,  they  gave  them  their  money,  and  all 
broke  up  in  confusion.  One  of  the  chiefs  said,  that  all 
must  be  laid  over  till  the  next  year.  I  then  went  to  see  the 
Kickapoos  and  those  of  the  Pottawatomies  that  had  com- 
menced to  serve  the  Lord.  I  had  to  follow  them  down  tlie 
Grand  prairie.  Some  I  found  on  tlie  Ambroise,  some  on  the 
Little  Wabash,  and  some  on  the  Fox.  This  has  taken  mc 
four  weeks,  in  which  I  have  been  but  a  few  nights  in  a 
house.  The  rains  have  been  frequent ;  but  the  Lord  has 
blessed  me  with  health.  I  have  returned  to  this  place  well, 
for  which  I  am  tliankful.  The  Indians  express  a  strong 
desire  to  settle  themselves,  and  change  tlieir  mode  of  living. 
There  arc  three  hundred  of  them  who  attend  the  worship 


320  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAP.  XI. 

of  God  morning  and  evening,  and  keep  holy  the  Sabbath 
day.  I  can  only  say,  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  if  they 
could  get  some  place,  they  would  gladly  settle  themselves, 
and  learn  to  read  the  word  of  God,  and  till  the  earth.  Such 
a  place  is  promised  them  by  the  Pottawatomies.  It  is  on 
the  Kankakee,  and  they  are  going  to  settle  there  m  the 
spring. 

"  A  blessed  field  is  open  at  this  time  for  sending  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  northwest.  God  is  raising  up  preachers  of  the 
right  kind,  from  this  glorious  work.  Nearly  two  hundred 
Pottawatomies  have  already  joined  them.  These  people 
have  laid  aside  ardent  spirits  altogether :  also  stealing,  lying, 
cheating,  quarreling,  fighting,  and  all  manner  of  sin.  They 
keep  the  Sabbath  day  with  all  possible  strictness,  and  speak 
feelingly  of  the  divine  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
they  exhort  each  other  to  give  their  hearts  to  the  Savior. 
I  still  have  some  hope  that  Chicago  will  some  day  receive 
the  Gospel.    I  pray  for  the  blessed  time  to  roll  on. 

"  Please  to  send  me  some  instructions.  My  soul  longs 
to  see  something  done  for  these  poor  Indians.  I  heard  you 
were  sick  in  St.  Louis,  from  which  I  hope  you  have  recov- 
ered. I  heard  brother  Armstrong  was  sick,  also ;  but  1  have 
learned  he  has  gone  home. 

"  I  close,  subscribing  myself  yours  in  the  bonds  of  the 
Gospel  of  our  blessed  master,  Jesus  Christ." 

The  annexed  letter  from  Mrs.  Hedding  to  Bishop  Roberts, 
is  one  that  exhibits  deep  piety.  It  was  written  at  Lynn, 
and  is  dated  August  3,  1832. 

"  Since  I  saw  you,  my  health  has  been  every  day  im- 
proving. I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hedding,  dated  July 
12th.  He  had  not  then  decided  about  going  to  Upper 
Canada.  He  will  write  again  soon.  He  is  surrounded  by 
the  mortal  pestilence,  and,  which  ever  way  he  turns,  must 
face  it;  yet  I  believe  God  will  preserve  him. 

"  As  for  myself,  I  have  had  more  anxiety  to  know  that 


CHAP.  XI.3       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  321 

my  soul  was  fitted  for  heaven,  than  usual ;  for  I  know  this 
mortal  body  must,  ere  long,  return  to  its  mother  earth.  The 
Church  fast  was  a  blessing  to  rae.  The  Lord  is  my  por- 
tion. I  am  happy  when  in  the  Sabbath  school.  Blessed 
be  llie  name  of  the  Lord.  May  our  good  God  prosper  you 
on  your  way.  Give  my  love  to  Mrs,  Roberts,  of  whom  I 
often  think.    Pray  for  me." 

Our  readers  will  be  pleased  to  peruse  the  views  of  Bishop 
M'Kendree,  on  the  subject  of  trying  members  according  to 
Scripture  and  Methodist  Discipline.  The  paper  accompa- 
nying the  following  letter  was  sent  by  him  to  the  other 
Bishops,  with  the  hope  of  getting  their  recommendation,  and 
then  the  sanction  of  the  conference,  as  a  uniform  mode  of 
procedure  in  Church  trials.  Whetlier  all  the  other  Bishops 
agreed  to  the  plan,  we  are  not  informed;  or  whether,  in  the 
multitude  of  other  business,  it  was  finally  overlooked,  we 
are  not  prepared  to  say.  At  any  rate,  we  are  persuaded  that 
the  document  will  be  read  with  great  profit  by  all  who  have 
any  thing  to  do  in  executing  the  Discipline  of  the  Church. 
The  letter  was  written  at  Pulaski,  and  addressed  to  Bishop 
Roberts.    It  is  dated  November  13,  1833. 

"  I  fully  expected  to  see  you  at  this  place,  but  instead  of 
this,  I  understood  from  brother  Stringfield's  letter  that  you 
were  very  sick  in  Kingsport.  Over  such  circumstances 
we  have  no  control,  and  should  submit  cheerfully.  My 
state  of  health  rendered  it  impracticable  for  me  to  bear  the 
weight  of  business ;  but,  by  selecting  assistance,  I  have  been 
able  to  superintend ;  and  from  present  appearances  I  hope 
the  business  will  be  done  so  as  to  give  no  cause  of  offense. 

«*  Such  is  the  administration  of  discipline  in  this  conference, 
that  I  thought  something  should  be  done  in  order  to  bring 
about  a  more  uniform  and  effective  administration.  I  there- 
fore drew  up  the  accompanying  view  of  the  trial  of  a 
preacher  and  member,  as  a  specimen  of  my  thoughts  on  the 
principles  of  our  Discipline,  with  the  intention  of  submitting 


322  EPISTOLARY  CORRESFONDENCEt       [cHAP.  XI. 

it  to  you,  and  if  we  agree,  to  send  it  with  our  signatures  for 
the  concurrence  of  the  other  Bishops  ;  and  if  they,  or  a 
majority  of  them,  agree,  then  to  present  it  to  the  conference, 
as  our  opinion  of  the  construction  and  appUcation  of  that 
rule.  Such  a  measure  may  not  be  necessary  in  other  parts, 
but  I  think  it  is  here.  I  have  sent  a  similar  statement  to 
Bishops  Soule,  Emory  and  Andrew  ;  and  if  you  see  proper, 
after  exchanging  thoughts,  yo-i  can  communicate  it  to  the 
conference.    If  not,  it  will  remain  where  it  is. 

««  Yours  in  the  bonds  of  a  yoke-fellow." 

The  following  is  the  document  referred  to  in  the  prece- 
ding letter.  It  is  addressed  to  "  the  preachers  and  brethren 
whose  duty  it  may  be  to  execute  the  Discipline  of  our 
Church." 

"  Dearly  Beloved  IN  THE  Lord, — It  is  admitted  to  be 
the  glory  of  Methodism,  that  it  is  virtually  the  same  in 
every  part  of  the  world.  Our  doctrines  are  the  same,  both 
in  Europe  and  America.  Our  discipline  is  the  same 
throughout  the  United  Slates;  and  the  execution  of  disci- 
pline, or  the  administration  of  the  government  of  the  Church, 
ought  to  be  the  same,  throughout  the  societies.  In  thia 
respect,  however,  we  have  found  considerable  difference  of 
sentiment  and  practice,  owing,  it  is  presumed,  to  the  dif- 
ferent circumstances  and  situation  of  things  in  different 
sections  of  our  widely  extended  field  of  labor.  It  is,  there- 
fore, thought  proper  that  a  short  explanatory  view  of  our 
rules,  for  conducting  the  trials  of  preachers  and  members  in 
the  Church,  should  be  presented  to  you,  for  the  all-important 
purpose  of  preserving  and  maintaining,  if  possible,  a  uniform 
practice  among  us,  in  every  respect,  conformable  to  our 
excellent  system  of  discipline. 

"  As  the  grand  object  of  the  Gospel  is  to  save  men,  conse- 
quently, the  design  of  Gospel  discipline  is  to  correct,  reform, 
and  fit  them  for  happiness,  and  not  to  destroy,  and  render 
them  subjects  of  misery.    In  the  execution  of  discipline, 


CHAP.  XI.]        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  323 

punishment  or  expulsion  is  the  last  operation  consequent 
upon  man's  continuance  in  crime  and  unbelief,  and  this  is  a 
painful  work  to  the  administrator.  When  our  Lord  pro- 
nounced sentence  against  the  Jewisli  nation,  he  wept.  See 
Luke  xix,  41-44.  St.  Paul  suffered  much  persecution 
from  the  backslidden  Corinthians;  but  he  persevered  in 
the  exercise  of  Gospel  discipline,  by  applying  the  doctrines 
of  justice  to  convict,  and  mercy  to  encourage  a  return  to 
reformation,  until  he  succeeded,  and  triumphed  in  their  sal- 
vation.   See  1st  and  2d  epistles  to  the  Corinthians. 

"  Li  conformity  to  this  view  of  Gospel  discipline,  our 
rules  and  regulations  are  carried  into  operation,  with  the 
explicit  understanding  that  crimes  are  divided  into  two 
classes. 

"  The  first  comprehends  all  such  as  are  •  expressly  for- 
bidden in  the  word  of  God.'  (See  Discipline,  page  68.) 
To  this  class  only  is  the  act  of  punishment,  or  expulsion, 
extended,  in  the  first  instance  of  the  exercise  of  discipline. 
J  "  The  second  class  of  crimes  comprehends  neglect  of 
duties,  &c.  (See  book  of  Discipline,  page  70.)  In  all 
such  cases,  the  first  step  in  the  exercise  of  discipline  is  pri- 
vate reproof,  given  by  some  one  having  the  charge  over  the 
supposed  offender;  and  if  there  be  an  acknowledgment, 
&c.,  the  person  is  to  be  borne  with.  On  a  second  offense, 
that  is,  on  the  crime  being  repeated,  one  or  two  faithful 
friends  are  to  be  taken ;  and  if  the  person  be  not  then  cured, 
the  case  is  to  be  brought  before  the  Church,  as  the  Disci- 
pline directs;  and  if  there  be  no  sign  of  real  humiliation, 
he  must  be  cut  off. 

"  And  when  a  person  is  clearly  convicted  of  such  a  crime, 
or  crimes,  nothing  short  of  expulsion  will  satisfy  the  rule, 
unless  there  be  such  a  manifestation  of  genuine  repentance 
and  humiliation  as  will  fully  justify  the  restoration  of 
ihe  offending  person :  in  such  case,  the  connection  between 
crime  snd  its  punishment  is  dissolved.    Such  cases  may 


324  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.        [cHAP.  XI. 

possibly  occur;  and  when  they  do,  much  care  and  pru- 
dence are  necessary  to  guard  the  Church  from  reproach  and 
injury,  and,  at  the  same  time,  save  the  offender.  In  all 
cases  of  the  second  class  of  crime,  the  first  and  second  step 
ought  to  be  taken  previously  to  bringing  the  offender  before 
the  Church,  and  the  continual  intention  should  be  to  'save 
a  soul  from  death,'  and  the  Church  from  reproach  and  influ- 
ence of  bad  example  consequent  on  holding  persons  guilty 
of  crime  in  fellowship,  James  v,  20 ;  and  Jude  xx,  25. 

"  The  Discipline,  when  rightly  understood,  in  connection 
with  our  episcopal  government,  very  clearly  points  out  the 
mode  of  trial  to  be  pursued  in  regard  to  the  different  grades 
in  the  ministry,  and,  also,  the  private  members ;  and  there 
are  some  important  principles  closely  connected  with  the 
administration  of  discipline,  which  should  never  be  for- 
gotten. 

"A  Bishop  or  Superintendent,  having  the  general  over- 
sight of  the  temporal  and  spiritual  concerns  of  the  Church, 
is,  of  course,  authorized  to  attend  to  any  and  all  matters, 
small  and  great,  in  the  execution  of  discipline. 

"A  presiding  elder,  who  is  in  fact  the  agent  of  the  Bish- 
ops, in  virtue  of  his  appointment,  is  autliorized  to  exercise 
episcopal  authority  within  the  limits  of  his  district,  (except 
ordination ;)  consequently,  it  is  his  business,  when  present, 
fully  to  attend  to  every  part  of  the  exercise  of  discipline. 

"The  assistant  preacher  is,  indeed,  the  presiding  elder's 
aid,  and  has  the  more  particular  oversight  and  care  of  the 
circuit  or  station,  to  which  he  is  appointed.  (See  his  duties, 
as  contained  in  the  Discipline,  page  39.) 

"The  helper  is  one  placed  on  the  circuit,  or  station,  with 
the  assistant,  and  is  under  his  direction,  in  any  thing  he 
may  do  in  the  execution  of  discipline. 

"  The  class-leader  is  restricted  to  his  own  class,  and,  if 
active  and  zealous,  mu]-  do  much  for  God  and  souls,  in 
keeping  up  order  and  discipline  therein. 


CUAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  325 

"It  should  never  be  forgotten,  that  the  privileges  of  our 
ministers  and  preachers,  of  trial  by  a  committee,  and  of  an 
appeal,  and  the  privileges  of  our  members  of  trial  before 
the  society,  or  by  a  committee,  and  of  an  appeal,  are 
sacredly  guarantied  to  them  by  the  constitution  of  our 
Church.  The  great  object  of  committees  is  to  attend  to 
complaints,  or  charges,  in  the  intervals  of  conferences,  and 
thereby  rescue  the  character  of  innocent  brethren,  wrong- 
fully accused,  from  reproach  and  injury,  or  by  suspending 
them  until  the  ensuing  conference.  The  suspending  power 
is  clearly  restricted  to  such  crimes  as  are  expressly  for- 
bidden in  the  word  of  God,  and  to  such  as  are  persisted  in 
after  Gospel  reproo*"  and  admonition  have  been  given.  And 
it  may  be  further  remarked,  that  neither  the  organization  of 
a  committee,  nor  any  of  its  acts,  can  abridge  the  powers  of 
a  conference,  when  they  afterward  come  to  act  on  the  same 
case.  And  should  a  case  occur  at,  or  during  the  sitting 
of  conference ;  or,  although  known  of,  be  neglected ;  or, 
if  it  should  be  of  such  a  recent  date,  as  not  to  afford  time 
to  call  a  committee  ;  and  should  then  be  brought  before  the 
conference,  there  is  nothing  in  Discipline  or  reason  to  pre- 
vent the  conference  from  hearing  and  deciding  thereon, 
without  the  intervention  of  a  committee,  and  especially  if 
the  person  accused  desire  it.  But,  as  the  conference  has 
the  entire  control  of  all  cases,  in  which  its  own  members 
are  concerned,  subject  to  the  order  of  Discipline,  they  may, 
or  they  may  not,  appoint  a  committee,  as  they  may  judge 
proper;  but  they  cannot,  in  any  case,  transfer  their  author- 
ity as  a  conference.  The  committee  can  only  acquit  if  not 
guilty,  or  suspend  if  guilty ;  and  if  suspended,  the  confer- 
ence must  finally  determine  the  case.  The  accused  ought 
always  to  have  timely  notice  to  prepare  for  trial ;  and  while 
on  one  hand  the  administrator  of  Discipline  does  not  rule 
him  to  trial  unprepared,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  he  ought  not 
to  put  off,  or  lay  over  the  trial  of  a  case,  without  good  rea- 
28 


326  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [cHAr,  11. 

sons.  The  assistant  preacher,  in  a  circuit  or  station,  is 
invested  with  full  power  to  oversee  all  the  concerns  of  the 
Church,  as  far  as  his  jurisdiction  extends,  in  attending  to 
the  complaints  and  wants  of  each  member,  without  par- 
tiality; and  veiy  strictly,  but  mildly,  enforce  every  point  of 
the  Discipline,  as  occasion  may  require. 

"If  he  obtains  a  knowledge  of  any  misconduct,  or  vio- 
lation of  Discipline  by  any  of  his  members  or  preachers,  it 
is  his  duty,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  attend  to  the  case,  and 
have  it  settled,  without  waiting  for  a  formal  charge  to  be 
handed  to  him :  he  himself  must  act  in  behalf  of  the 
Church,  Ezekiel  iii,  17;  and  xxxiii,  7;  1  Cor.  v,  15;  Rev. 
ii,  1,  2;  and  Rev.  ii,  12-15,  18-20;  Heb.  xv,  7-17. 
No  person  ought  to  be  permitted  to  come  forward  in  the 
character  of  a  prosecutor.  Such  a  character  is  not  known 
of  in  all  our  economy.  The  accuser  is  to  be  brought  face 
to  face  with  the  accused.  If  this  cannot  be  done,  let  the 
next  best  evidence  be  procured :  consequently,  the  accuser 
is  the  very  best  evidence  in  the  case.  An  aggrieved  person 
may  be  a  complainant ;  but  our  Discipline  does  not  recog- 
nize any  one  as  an  accuser,  unless  he  be  a  witness  in  the 
case  against  the  accused.  Any  and  all  testimony  oflered 
on  the  trial  of  a  case  ought  to  be  read  or  heard ;  but  if  any 
be  of  doubtful  character,  the  Church  is  at  liberty  to  give  it 
as  much  weight  as  they  think  it  deserves.  We  have  no  rule 
making  it  illegal  to  admit  what  is  called  exparte  evidence. 

"  No  accused  preacher  or  member  ought  to  be  suspended 
or  expelled,  unless  found  guilty  by  a  majority  of  those  by 
whom  he  is  tried.  On  taking  a  vote,  the  question  ought 
always  to  be  put  in  the  positive.  If  any  accused  person 
has  any  well  grounded  objection  to  any  one  called  to  sit  on 
his  trial  as  a  committee  man,  a  prudent  and  judicious  ad- 
ministrator would  leave  out  the  person  objected  to,  and,  if 
necessary,  supply  the  place  with  another.  But  the  right 
of  challenge,  so  called,  is  not  recognized  in  our  Discipline. 


CHAP.  XI.]       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.  327 

"  We  do  not  think  it  advisable,  or  consistent  with  pro- 
priety or  the  nature  of  things,  that  a  person  should  vote  on 
the  same  case,  in  the  condemnation  of  a  person,  both  in  the 
society  or  select  number,  or  on  committee  and  in  conference, 
or  in  more  than  one  conference,  where  appeals  are  taken. 
We  think  it  prudent,  and  a  mark  of  sound  judgment,  to 
pay  due  respect  to  the  opinions  and  advice  of  the  aged 
who  have  had  experience,  because  from  such,  it  is  expected, 
that  a  knowledge  of  primitive  usage  and  custom  may  be 
obtained.  And  in  every  point  there  ought  to  be  frequent 
recurrence  to  Jirst  principles:  these  are  generally  best 
expressed  in  the  original  words  which  contain  them. 
Observe  well  the  old  landmarks :  inquire  after  the  old 
paths  ;  and  rally  around  the  old  standards  of  our  fathers." 

In  the  winter  of  1834,  Bishop  Roberts  had  a  severe 
attack  of  sickness,  which  brought  him  to  the  verge  of  the 
grave.  The  annexed  letter,  written  by  Mr.  Samuel  Dickin- 
son, of  Louisville,  together  with  the  one  that  follows  it, 
furnished  by  Rev.  Edward  Stevenson,  will  present  some  of 
the  incidents  of  this  critical  period,  in  as  full  and  clear  a 
manner  as  can  at  this  time  be  done. 

"  When  Bishop  Roberts  was  sick  in  the  city  of  Louis- 
ville, about  ten  years  ago,  I  was  frequently  with  him,  both 
by  night  and  by  day.  He  suffered  intensely  and  long,  and 
was  at  length  given  up  by  his  physicians,  as  beyond  recovery. 
Under  all  his  affliction,  he  manifested  a  cheerful  and  firm 
reliance  upon  the  Savior ;  and  with  an  unshaken  confidence 
and  humble  trust  in  his  atoning  merits,  cast  himself  entirely 
upon  him.  It  might  truly  be  said,  that  '  whether  living  or 
dying,  he  was  the  Lord's.' 

"  In  his  greatest  extremity,  when  his  disease  had  baflled 
the  skill  of  his  physicians,  I  was  sent  for  to  visit  him.  I 
obeyed  the  summons  promptly.  On  going  to  his  bed-side, 
I  found  him  calm  and  composed,  though  suffering  a  great 
deal.    There  sat  the  partner  of  his  joys  and  sorrows,  and 


328  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE.       [CHAP.  XI. 

several  friends.  «  Brother  Dickinson,'  said  he,  '  I  have  sent 
for  you  to  write  my  will.  My  physicians  tell  me  they  can 
do  no  more  for  me,  and  I  have  only  time  now  to  dispose  of 
my  worldly  property,  which  is  but  little.'  Although  I  had 
known  Bishop  Roberts  for  many  years,  and  had  been  with 
him  often  during  his  confinement,  I  never  saw  him  so  much 
disabled.  His  will,  as  completed,  I  could  have  written 
in  fifteen  minutes  under  ordinary  circumstances ;  but  on 
that  occasion,  I  was  at  least  two  hours  in  performing  it. 
When  it  was  done,  I  read  the  whole  to  him,  in  a  distinct, 
audible  voice.  He  observed,  '  That  is  right.'  Brother  C. 
Daniels,  at  whose  house  he  was  staying,  was  called  up,  and 
the  Bishop  remarked  to  us,  '  Brethren,  this  is  my  last  will 
and  testament.'  We  subscribed  our  names  as  attesting  wit- 
nesses to  this,  his  last  act,  as  we  all  believed.  But  He  who 
controls  all  things  in  mercy  decreed  otherwise ;  for  from 
that  moment  he  began  to  improve.  He  drew  the  covering 
of  the  bed  over  his  face,  after  saying,  « this  is  my  last  will 
and  testament,'  as  if  to  say  to  us,  '  Farewell,  brethren,'  and 
to  hold  communion  with  his  God.  In  a  few  weeks,  he  was 
80  far  restored  to  health  as  to  be  able  to  return  home. 
Thus,  in  the  providence  of  God,  one  of  his  devoted  servants 
was  permitted  to  live  nine  years  longer  in  the  Church  below, 
and  aid  his  colleagues  in  the  superintendency,  and  brethren 
in  the  ministry,  in  promoting  the  cause  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness." 

The  following  is  Mr.  Stevenson's  letter,  just  refferred  to. 
It  was  written  at  Russelville,  and  is  dated  June  22,  1843. 

"By  a  line  just  received  from  brother  Holman,  I  am 
requested  to  furnish  you  with  a  document  which  contains 
what  were  supposed  to  be  the  last  words  of  Bishop  Roberts, 
when  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  during  the  win- 
ter of  1834,  at  which  time  he  was  believed  to  be  at  the 
point  of  death.  I  regret  to  say,  that  I  left  the  paper  con- 
taining the  matter  in  question,  when  I  came  to  this  part  of 


CHAP.  Xl.J       EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE. 


329 


the  state,  in  the  city  of  Lexington,  and,  therefore,  cannot 
furnish  it  at  this  time. 

"  As  I  have  my  pen  in  hand  I  will,  however,  furnish  you 
with  a  few  facts  in  relation  to  the  Bishop  on  that  occasion. 
His  attack  was  a  very  malignant  type  of  congestive  fever. 
Being  on  his  return  home  from  an  extensive  southern  tour, 
he  had  traveled  several  days  with  the  symptoms  of  the  disease 
upon  him  ;  but  on  reaching  Louisville  was  imable  to  proceed 
further.  He  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  several  weeks, 
with  but  little  prospect,  from  the  first,  of  his  recovery.  At 
length,  his  condition  became  so  doubtful  to  his  physicians 
and  all,  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  inform  him  that  there 
was,  in  the  judgment  of  his  medical  attendants,  but  little 
hope  of  his  recovery.  He  had  evinced  the  utmost  resigna- 
tion and  lamb-like  patience  throughout  the  whole  period  of 
his  affliction ;  although  he  had  said  but  little,  very  little 
indeed,  in  relation  to  his  situation  at  any  time.  I  was 
standing  by  his  pillow,  when  Dr.  Merriweather,  with  great 
candor  and  tenderness,  informed  him  that  it  was  the  opinion 
of  himself  and  the  gentlemen  who  were  associated  with 
him,  tliat  his  case  was  considered  doubtful — that,  in  fact, 
they  had  but  litde  hope  of  his  recovery.  Never  did  I 
witness,  on  such  an  occasion,  a  greater  degree  of  calmness, 
self-possession,  and  perfect  resignation.  At  his  suggestion, 
arrangements  were  made  for  sending  for  his  companion, 
which,  up  to  this  time,  he  had  opposed ;  but  now  he  appeared 
exceedingly  anxious  to  see  her  before  his  departure.  A 
will  was  then  written  under  his  immediate  direction.  In  all 
of  which,  I  then  thought,  and  I  still  think,  that  I  never  saw 
any  man  engaged  in  any  matter  of  importance  with  less 
agitation  of  spirit;  nothing  was  hurried,  neglected,  or  for- 
gotten :  he  was  calm,  discriminating,  and  self-possessed  to 
the  astonishment  of  all  present.  He  seemed  like  one  pre- 
paring for  a  pleasing  and  delightful  journey. 

'»  His  temporal  matters  arranged,  he  desired  me  to  procure 


330  EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE,       [cHAP.  XI. 

pen,  ink  and  paper,  and  take  my  position  near  his  bed-side, 
adding,  that  he  presumed  I  could  write  as  fast  as  he  would 
be  able  to  talk.  With  the  exception  of  brother  and  sister 
Daniels,  at  whose  residence  he  had  put  up,  all  were  kindly 
requested  to  leave  the  room.  He  then  commenced:  gai'e  a 
brief  history  of  his  life,  including  his  conversion,  call  to  the 
ministry,  itinerant  career,  &c.,  closing  with  the  exercises  of 
his  mind  during  his  afflictions,  and  especially  at  this  time. 
But  I  dare  not  trust  my  memory  so  far  as  to  give  the  details. 
I  may,  however,  say  with  confidence,  that  he  desired  his 
colleagues,  his  brethren  generally,  and  the  Church  at  large, 
to  know,  that  '  in  death  he  was  supported  by  the  faith  that 
he  had  endeavored  to  preach  while  living,'  adding,  in  con- 
clusion, (and  I  shall  never  forget  the  mild,  though  fervid 
sincerity  and  correctness  with  which  he  spoke,)  '  I  hope  that 
the  place  which  I  am  about  to  vacate,  will  be  Jilled  by  a 
wiser,  better  and  more  useful  man  than  I  have  ever  been.' 
These  are  the  last  words  in  the  document:  my  recollection 
of  them  is  distinct." 

The  meeting  of  the  Bishops  previous  to  General  confer- 
ence, is  always  considered  of  importance,  that  they  may 
have  time  to  unite  in  presenting  to  the  conference  in  an 
address,  such  matters  as  they  deem  useful  for  the  welfare  of 
the  Church.  On  this  topic  Bishop  Soule  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  Bishop  Roberts.  It  is  dated  March  21, 
1836. 

"I  have  received  a  letter  from  Bishop  Hedding,  in  answer 
to  one  I  had  written  him,  proposing  a  meeting  of  the  Bishops 
at  Cincinnati,  on  the  26th  day  of  April,  for  the  purpose  of 
deliberation  on  the  important  matter  to  come  before  the 
General  conference,  and  to  unite  in  such  a  communication  as 
may  be  thought  proper  to  lay  before  that  body. 

"  The  Bishop  is  entirely  in  favor  of  the  meeting  on  the 
day  proposed,  and  assures  me  of  his  attendance,  if  no  ad- 
verse providence  prevents. 


CHAP.  XI.]        EPISTOLARY  CORRESPONDENCE,  331 

"  He  farther  informs  me,  that  he  has  written  to  Bishop 
Andrew,  proposing  the  meeting  and  desiring  his  attendance, 
of  which  he  has  no  doubt. 

"  I  trust  you  will  not  think  me  assuming  in  proposing 
such  a  meeting,  and  I  doubt  not  but  you  will  cordially  agree 
with  us  in  our  view  of  the  importance  of  its  object. 

"  Although  I  proposed  the  meeting,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
I  shall  be  able  to  attend  on  the  day  appointed,  26th  of  April. 

*'  I  have  in  my  possession  all  the  manuscript  papers  of 
our  late  venerable  senior  Bishop.  The  item  of  his  will  by 
which  I  hold  them  is  in  the  following  words,  viz :  'I  give 
and  bequeath  to  Joshua  Soule,  all  my  manuscripts  and 
papers,  to  be  disposed  of  as  he,  with  the  assistance  of 
Thomas  L.  Douglass,  may  deem  most  expedient.' 

"  By  this  bequest,  it  becomes  necessary  that  brother 
Douglass  should  assist  me  in  the  examination  of  these 
papers,  and  with  his  advice,  in  reference  to  the  disposal  to 
be  made  made  of  them. 

"  Brother  Douglass  has  appointed  to  be  at  my  house  a 
week  before  the  General  conference,  for  the  above  purpose, 

"  And  as  there  is  a  very  large  collection  of  papers,  and 
many  of  them  are  very  important,  it  will  require  much  time 
and  care  to  give  them  such  an  examination  as  the  occasion 
requires.  This  may  prevent  my  meeting  with  my  colleagues 
at  Cincinnati.  I  shall,  however,  do  all  in  my  power  to 
attend  as  early  as  possible. 

"  It  will,  I  think,  be  well  to  get  to  the  city  on  the  evening 
of  the  25th,  that  there  may  be  sufficient  time  for  the  impor- 
tant business  preparatory  to  the  opening  of  the  conference.'* 

At  the  General  conference  of  1836,  there  were  some  who 
deliberated  on  dividing  the  whole  United  States  into  epis- 
copal districts,  and  allotting  to  each  Bishop  his  field  of  labor 
for  the  four  ensuing  years.  In  the  annexed  extract  of  a 
letter  written  by  Bishop  Roberts  to  his  wife,  it  will  be  seen 
with  what  composure  he  viewed  the  whole  proceeding,  and 


332 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


[chap.  xn. 


that  he  seemed  ready  to  leave  his  retreat  from  public  noise 
in  Indiana,  and  move  at  once  to  the  east,  without  a  murmur. 
The  letter  is  dated  May  7th,  1836: 

"  You  desired  me  to  write  you  a  line  on  my  arrival  at 
this  place.  But  various  things  have  been  pressing  on  me, 
and  prevented  me  till  this  evening.  And  now  I  scarcely 
have  time  to  spare,  having  to  preach  in  the  morning.  We 
have  spent  one  week  in  conference.  The  delegates  are 
generally  here — more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  num- 
ber. We  talk  of  making  two  or  three  additional  Bishops ; 
but  who  will  be  selected  is  not  yet  known.  There  is  some 
talk  of  districting  the  work,  and  sending  me  to  the  east. 
Should  this  be  the  case,  you  will  have  to  leave  your 
country  residence  and  go  with  me ;  but  I  need  not  trouble 
you  before  the  time. 

"  I  do  not  know  when  I  shall  be  home ;  but  you  will  all 
do  as  well  as  you  can  in  my  absence.  My  health  is  good, 
and  I  am  lodging  in  the  same  room  with  Bishop  Hedding, 
at  0.  M.  Spencer's,  my  old  friend  and  brother.  It  is  late 
in  the  evening,  and  I  want  to  rest ;  therefore  I  must  bring 
my  letter  to  a  close." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HIS  CLOSING  LABORS. 

Although  the  health  of  Bishop  Roberts,  for  a  man  of 
his  age,  was  generally  good,  yet  time  had  made  its  inroads 
on  his  vigorous  frame.  Indeed,  after  his  severe  attack  in 
Louisville,  in  the  winter  of  1834,  he  never  recovered  his 
former  state  of  health.  The  General  conference,  therefore, 
kindly  passed  the  following  resolution,  in  reference  to  his 
future  labors: 

"  Whereas,  Bishop  Roberts  has  assured  this  conference, 


CHAP.  XII.]  CLOSING  LABORS.  333 

and  we  are  fully  convinced  that  his  want  of  health,  and  the 
infirm  state  of  his  constitution,  will  not  justify  an  attempt  in 
him  to  do  efiective  service  in  the  episcopacy,  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  he  be  at  full  liberty  to  pursue  such  a 
course  as  he  may  think  best,  during  the  ensuing  four  years, 
for  the  improvement  of  his  health,  and  to  prolong  his  useful 
life,  affording,  in  the  meantime,  all  the  service  he  can,  as  a 
joint  Superintendent,  or  Bishop,  in  our  Church." 

The  following  is  extracted  from  an  outline  of  the  plan  on 
which  the  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  de- 
termined to  visit  the  annual  conferences,  and  the  work  with- 
in their  bounds,  together  with  the  missions,  during  the 
period  between  May,  1836,  and  May,  1840,  The  extract 
we  give  embraces  Bishop  Roberts'  appointments : 

"  1836 — Missouri,  September  14;  Illinois,  October  5; 
Indiana,  October  26.  1837— Pittsburg,  July  19;  Erie, 
August  9 ;  Michigan,  September  6  ;  Ohio,  September  27 ; 
Kentucky,  October  18.  1838-9— Tennessee,  October  3; 
Arkansas,  October  31 ;  Mississippi,  December  5;  Alabama, 
January  2.  1839-40— Holston,  October  16;  Georgia, 
December  10;  South  Carolina,  January  8;  North  Carolina, 
January  29  ;  Virginia,  February  19  ;  Baltimore,  March  11." 

The  following  remarks  accompanied  the  outline  of  the 
plan:  "It  is,  also,  understood,  that,  in  case  either  of  the 
Bishops  be  prevented  by  illness,  or  any  extraordinary  dis- 
pensation of  Providence,  from  pursuing  his  regular  course 
of  visitations,  notice  will  be  given,  if  the  time  permit,  to  the 
next  adjacent  Bishop  who  may  then  be  disengaged,  who 
will,  tliereupon,  supply  the  vacancy ;  and,  also,  that  during 
the  intervals  between  the  annual  conferences,  the  Bishops 
will  visit  and  superintend  such  parts  of  the  work  generally, 
including  the  missions,  as  their  situation  and  circumstances 
will  allow.  They  may,  also,  occasionally,  Providence  per- 
mitting, meet  each  other  at  conferences,  when  the  times  and 
places  of  the  holding  of  them  may  admit  of  their  so  doing." 


334  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  XII. 

When  at  home  he  worked  in  the  field,  as  far  as  his 
strength  would  permit.  He  was  not  able,  however,  to  do 
what  he  had  done  in  former  years.  Yet  it  was  not  easy  for 
him  to  learn  that  he  was  now  incapable  of  performing  the 
full  work  of  a  young  and  vigorous  man,  even  in  the  harvest 
field.  He  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  active  persons  to  reap 
his  wheat.  After  being  baffled  in  securing  such  persons, 
and  finding  those  whom  he  had  employed  were  very  ineffi- 
cient, he  actually  undertook  to  reap  himself,  as  he  always 
had  done  in  former  years,  when  at  home  in  harvest  time. 
But  his  former  vigor  was  gone,  and  he  could  not  endure  the 
fatigue  as  he  had  done.  He  employed  himself  in  the  clear- 
ing, and  every  other  kind  of  work  done  on  his  farm,  some- 
times rolling  logs,  attending  the  log  heaps,  &c.  He  labored 
with  great  diligence  in  erecting  a  saw-mill  on  his  land; 
was  clothed  as  usual  in  home-made  garments ;  and  aided 
in  constructing  the  dam  as  well  as  the  building. 

The  Bishops  have  found  it  necessary,  in  order  to  preserve 
a  uniform  and  consistent  administration,  to  meet  and  consult 
on  their  duties,  obligations,  and  responsibilities.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  vast  field  of  their  labors,  the  fewness  of  their 
number,  and  the  age  and  infirmities  of  some  of  them,  it 
was  found  difficult  so  to  arrange  their  affairs  as  to  meet  for 
such  consultations. 

It  was,  however,  finally  agreed,  after  considerable  episto- 
lary correspondence,  that  a  meeting  should  take  place  at 
New  York,  on  the  24th  of  May,  1838,  at  which  time  and 
place  Bishops  Soule,  Hedding,  Andrew,  Morris,  and 
Waugh,  were  present,  while  Bishop  Roberts  was  absent. 
The  cause  of  his  absence  was,  his  age  and  infirmities, 
together  with  his  extensive  travels  to  the  conferences  which 
he  had  agreed  to  attend.  Bishop  Waugh  was  chosen 
secretary.  The  session  lasted  several  days,  and  on  the  15th 
of  .Tune,  he  transcribed  the  minutes  and  sent  an  attested 
copy  to  Bishop  Roberts.    There  is  nothing  of  either  a 


CHAP.  XIl.]  CLOSING  LABORS.  *  335 

lordly  or  arrogant  spirit,  or  arbitrary  regulation,  found  in  the 
proceedings.  The  aim  is  to  proceed  according  to  the  Disci- 
pline of  the  Church  in  all  respects,  and  in  no  case  otherwise 

A  kind,  yet  unknown  friend,  made  Bishop  Roberts  a 
life  member  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  by  the  payment 
of  thirty  dollars.  The  perusal  of  the  letter  accompanying 
the  gift,  will  be  a  lesson  of  example,  showing  that  others 
may  do  likewise.  It  was  addressed  to  the  general  agent  of 
the  society,  and  is  dated  August  2d,  1838. 

"  I  send  you  the  sum  of  thirty  dollars,  which  I  will  thank 
you  to  present  to  the  managers  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety, to  be  devoted  to  the  circulation  of  the  holy  Scriptures. 

"In  consequence  of  this  contribution,  you  will  please  to 
enrol  the  name  of  Robert  R.  Roberts,  Bishop  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  among  your  life  members. 

"  The  above  is  from  a  fund  which  has  arisen  from  the 
continued  savings  of  'a  missionary,'  by  his  laying  aside 
portions  of  fees  and  presents  at  the  time  they  were  re- 
ceived, the  entire  amount  of  fees  received  on  Sunday  and 
Thursday  in  every  week,  also  free-will  offerings  under 
peculiar  providences,  one-tenth  of  his  regular  salary,  and 
one-tenth  of  the  balance  of  his  receipts  during  the  year  over 
his  family  expenses. 

»*  You  will  please  forward  to  brother  Roberts  a  certificate 
of  his  life  membership :  also  beg  him  to  lay  aside  portions 
of  fees,  of  presents,  of  regular  salary,  and  of  the  balance  in 
favor  of  a  kind  providence,  at  the  end  of  the  year.  Thus 
will  he  ever  have  a  fund  for  the  Lord.  Urge  him  to  con- 
stitute in  like  manner,  at  least  one  of  his  friends  a  life 
member  of  your  important  society ;  and  in  so  doing,  I 
would  beg  him  to  request  that  friend,  thus  constituted,  to 
constitute  some  other  individual  a  life  member.  In  this 
way,  passing  the  excitement  round  from  friend  to  friend,  an 
amount  of  good  will  accumulate  which  the  full  glories  of  the 
eternal  world  alone  can  unfold." 


336  *  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  XII. 

The  place  of  his  residence  was  never  satisfactory  to  his 
ecclesiastical  friends,  in  consequence  of  its  remote  and 
retired  location,  as  few  could  have  the  privilege  of  seeing 
him  when  he  was  at  home.  His  brethren  of  the  Indiana 
conference  were  very  desirous  that  he  should  change  his 
place  of  residence  for  one  more  accessible  and  central. 
New  Albany,  Greencastle,  Madison,  and  other  places  were 
proposed.  The  brethren  at  Louisville,  too,  were  very 
importunate  that  he  should  reside  among  them.  The  sub- 
ject of  his  removing  was  brought  before  the  Indiana  confer- 
ence, and  was  acted  upon.  We  make  the  following  extract 
from  the  journal  of  this  conference,  of  October  30,  1839. 

"A  preamble  and  resolutions  were  offered  by  C.  W. 
Ruter  and  Allen  Wiley,  by  which  Bishop  R.  R.  Roberts,  in 
consequence  of  his  increasing  infirmities,  was  requested  to 
remove  to  some  prominent  point  in  this  state,  which  might 
best  suit  his  feelings,  where  his  bretiiren  and  friends  can 
have  more  ready  access  to  him,  and  thus  render  him  such 
attention  as  the  Church  feel  anxious  he  should  receive.  By 
a  rising  vote  the  conference  unanimously  resolved  to  make 
the  request." 

Notwithstanding  the  importunities  of  the  Indiana  con- 
ference, and  of  several  individual  members  of  that  body, 
whom  the  Bishop  held  in  the  highest  estimation,  he  never- 
theless declined  to  remove  from  his  isolated  retreat.  At  his 
age,  he  was  unwilling  to  change,  so  as  to  form  new  neigh- 
borhood alliances. 

In  the  year  1841,  he  attended  the  Pittsburg,  Erie,  Michi- 
gan, North  Ohio,  Ohio,  and  Indiana  conferences.  His 
labors  were  excessive  in  all  these  conferences,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  size,  the  various  topics  introduced,  and  his 
having  no  other  Superintendent  with  him.  The  Pittsburg 
conference  had  ten  days  of  constant  sittings,  except  Sabbath. 
There  was  a  session  on  the  last  night,  (Friday,)  which  lasted 
till  ten  o'clock.    The  greater  part  of  the  rest  of  the  night 


CHAP.  XIl.] 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


337 


was  spent  in  making  out  the  missionary  drafts,  the  minutes, 
and  other  matters,  which  had  to  be  attended  to.  On  Satur- 
day morning,  at  nine  o'clock,  he  took  the  stage  for  Shenango, 
in  company  with  the  writer.  We  passed  through  the 
neighborhood  of  where  he  and  his  associates  made  their 
first  camp,  where  they  deposited  their  provisions  when 
•  they  went  in  search  of  land,  and  where  they  finally  made 
their  locations,  and  we  then  arrived  at  Mr.  Lindsay's,  hus- 
band of  his  favorite  sister,  Elizabeth.  In  this  neigh- 
borhood he  remained  till  Tuesday  following,  and  then 
set  out  for  the  Erie  conference,  to  Warren,  Ohio,  which 
met  next  day. 

At  the  Pittsburg  conference  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
Rev.  Thornton  Fleming,  who  first  licensed  him  to  preach, 
carried  on  his  recommendation  to  the  Baltimore  conference, 
and  was  his  presiding  elder  after  his  admission.  Between 
them  there  existed  a  warm  and  sincere  friendship.  The 
letter  abounds  with  the  kindest  feelings  toward  the  Bishop. 

When  at  home,  he  always  worked  as  much  as  his  health 
and  strength  would  allow.  In  planting  time  in  1842,  he 
dropped  corn,  as  was  his  practice ;  and  was  considered  a 
full  hand.  He  could  endure  great  exercise,  however,  but  a 
short  time.  In  January,  1843,  after  returning  from  Bedford, 
he  worked  west  of  his  house  in  the  village  of  Lawrenceport, 
aiding  in  clearing  land  for  the  reception  of  corn  in  the  spring. 
He  burned  the  brush,  and  assisted  in  clearing  away  the  logs. 
This  land  was  not  his  own ;  but  he  had  rented  it,  or  obtained 
the  privilege  of  cultivating  it  from  the  owner.  His  indus- 
trious habits  were  continued  as  long  as  he  had  any  strength 
to  exercise. 

The  following  kind  letter  was  received  by  him  from 
Bishop  Morris,  just  after  the  latter  had  been  deprived  of  his 
excellent  wife  by  death.    It  is  dated  June  28,  1842. 

"  I  expect  to  leave  in  a  day  or  two,  on  my  regular  tour 
of  conference  appointments ;  and  I,  therefore,  embrace  this 
29 


338  CLOSING  LABORS.  [CHAP.  XII. 

opportunity  of  calling  your  attention  to  a  few  things  con- 
nected with  our  common  work.  Having  learned  last  year, 
by  observation,  the  wants  of  some  conferences  in  your  bounds 
this  year,  and  knowing  the  crowded  state  of  some  of  the 
conferences  which  fall  to  me  now,  I  feel  disposed,  with  your 
concurrence,  to  make  an  effort  to  send  off  some  preachers 
to  Rock  River,  Missouri,  Arkansas  and  Texas  conferences, 
such  as  can  be  spared,  and  are  suitable  for  the  work  there, 
and  may  be  willing  to  go.  Any  suggestions  which  you  may 
please  to  communicate  to  me  on  this  subject,  at  any  time, 
will  be  thankfully  received  and  cheerfully  attended  to. 

"  The  change  in  my  family,  has  been  a  sore  trial,  and 
still  affects  me  at  times  severely.  I  feel  that  I  have  lost  my 
best  earthly  friend,  and  that  to  be  deprived  of  her  sympathy, 
example,  counsel  and  prayers,  is  a  serious  matter.  Still  I 
do  not  sorrow  as  they  who  have  no  hope  ;  and  I  trust  that 
when  I  resume  my  wonted  labor,  I  shall  feel  relieved. 

"  It  was  with  regret  I  learned  sometime  since  that  you 
were  in  poor  health.    I  trust  that  rest  for  a  few  weeks  at 
home  will,  by  the  Divine  blessing,  bring  you  relief.  Please 
remember  me  kindly  to  sister  Roberts,  and  pray  for  me. 
"  Yours,  with  much  esteem  and  affection." 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1842,  Bishop  Roberts  set  out  to 
visit  the  Indian  missions,  west  of  Arkansas  and  Missouri, 
and  performed  a  journey  which  most  men  in  the  vigor  of 
life  would  be  unwilling  to  undertake.  He  also  purposed 
to  visit  the  missions  on  the  Upper  Mississippi ;  but  this 
he  was  compelled  to  abandon.  A  sketch  of  his  journey  will 
serve,  at  least,  to  show  that  the  office  of  Bishop  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  is  no  sinecure.  For  so  far  as  labor, 
privation  and  responsibility  are  concerned,  what  is  true  of 
one  Bishop  is  true  of  all.  And  if  in  any  thing  they  have 
the  pre-eminence,  it  is  in  this,  that  in  labors  they  are  more 
abundant.  We  give  the  account  of  this  journey  from  the 
pen  of  the  Rev.  E.  R.  Ames,  missionary  secretary,  who  has 


CBAF.  xn.^  CLOSING  LABORS.  339 

kindly  furnished  us  with  the  narrative,  for  which  he  has  our 
warmest  thanks. 

"  January  21st,  1842.  I  will  commence  my  notice  of  the 
Bishop's  laboi-s  at  this  point  of  time,  as  on  this  day  he  left 
home  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  some  official  duties 
which  required  his  presence  at  Louisville.  By  easy  stages, 
he  reached  New  Albany,  where  he  spent  a  day  in  visiting 
some  of  his  old  friends,  and  advising  with  the  preachers  on 
the  subject  of  organizing  a  new  charge  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  city.  From  January  29th  to  February  1st,  the  time 
was  spent  in  Louisville  and  JefTersonville,  where  he 
preached  four  times,  and  visited  a  number  of  the  old  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  with  whom  he  had  been  acquainted  for 
many  years,  and  who  were  rejoiced  again  to  see  him. 
February  2d,  he  reached  Madison,  where  he  attended  the 
quarterly  meeting,  and  preached  once.  On  Monday  morn- 
ing, at  a  Church  meeting,  a  resolution  was  passed,  request- 
ing the  Bishop  to  *  organize  a  new  charge  in  the  city  of 
Madison.'  In  compliance  with  their  request,  the  Bishop 
directed  the  preacher  in  charge  to  form  such  of  the  mem- 
bers as  wished  to  belong  to  the  new  charge  into  classes, 
appoint  them  leaders,  and  write  to  Rev.  W.  M.  Daily  to 
come  and  take  charge  of  them  as  their  pastor.  On  the  8th, 
he  reached  Cincinnati,  where  he  spent  a  day,  and  proceeded 
to  Lebanon,  to  visit  Bishop  Soule,  in  order  to  consult  and 
advise  with  him  on  various  important  subjects  connected 
with  the  interests  of  the  Church.  On  his  return  to  Cin- 
cinnati, he  spent  the  Sabbath  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sha- 
ron, and  preached  twice. 

"  As,  in  the  division  of  episcopal  labor,  it  devolved  on 
Bishop  Roberts  next  fall  to  attend  the  conferences  with 
which  our  heavy  Indian  missions  are  connected,  he  deter- 
mined to  proceed  to  the  southwestern  frontier,  in  order  to 
visit  the  Indian  tribes  along  our  borders  south  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  and,  if  possible,  to  extend  his  journey  to  the 


340  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  XII. 

tribes  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  in  order  that,  from  a  per- 
sonal examination,  he  might  be  the  better  prepared  to  judge 
correctly  of  the  estimates  it  would  be  necessary  to  make  for 
the  support  of  the  missions,  and,  also,  of  the  most  suitable 
men  to  conduct  them. 

"  Having  reached  Louisville  on  the  14th,  the  Bishop 
started,  on  the  15th,  to  visit  his  family,  not  having  anticipated 
a  longer  absence  when  he  left  them.  It  was  arranged  that, 
on  his  return,  he  should  proceed  by  steamboat  down  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  and  up 
that  river  to  Fort  Smith,  immediately  above  which  lies  the 
Indians'  territory.  During  his  absence,  a  strong  two-horse 
carriage  was  procured,  and  such  other  arrangements  made 
as  would,  as  far  as  possible,  insure  his  comfortable  travel 
by  land,  after  reaching  Fort  Smith.  On  the  22d,  he  re- 
turned to  New  Albany,  where  he  preached  in  the  evening. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  23d,  he  took  passage  on  board  the 
steamboat  American  Eagle,  Captain  Montgomery,  for  Mont- 
gomery's Point,  on  the  Mississippi,  where  he  arrived  on 
Saturday  evening,  the  26th,  after  a  most  pleasant  passage. 
On  Sabbath  morning,  he  preached  in  the  bar-room  of  the 
tavern,  to  about  thirty  hearers.  And  here,  at  this  wicked 
place,  in  sickness,  poverty  and  crime,  he  saw  a  man  who 
had  once  been  a  member  of  the  Baltimore  conference,  and 
a  popular  and  useful  minister,  but  now  a  confirmed  drunk- 
ard. On  the  28th,  he  took  passage  on  the  steamboat 
Herschel,  Captain  Birch;  and  on  March  1st,  arrived  at 
Little  Rock.  The  boat  stopped  a  few  hours,  and  the 
Bishop  preached.  On  the  5th,  he  reached  Fort  Smith. 
Here  the  Bishop  was  kindly  received  and  entertained  by 
Joseph  Bennett,  Esq. ;  and  on  the  following  day,  (Sab- 
bath,) he  preached  twice.  On  the  17th,  Mr.  Bennett  kindly 
furnishing  him  an  Indian  pony,  he  rode  up  the  Arkansas 
about  eighteen  miles,  to  the  Choctaw  agency,  in  order  to 
see  Captain  Armstrong,  the  superintendent  of  the  western 


CHAP.  XII.3 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


341 


territory,  and  United  States'  agent  for  the  Choctaws.  The 
agent  was  absent,  being  at  Fort  Gibson ;  and,  as  the  Bishop 
did  not  wish  to  travel  through  the  Indian  country  without 
first  seeing  him,  he  determined  to  await  his  return,  which 
was  on  the  lllh.  The  Bishop  was  anxious  to  cross  the 
Choctaw  country,  over  to  Red  River,  that  he  might  visit 
the  missions  among  the  Choctaws,  which  are  all  on  that 
side  of  the  nation ;  but,  after  conversing  with  the  agent  and 
with  General  Taylor,  of  the  United  States  army,  on  the 
subject,  he  thought  it  hardly  prudent  to  attempt  it;  as  the 
country  was  rough  and  mountainous,  and  it  would  cost  him 
a  journey  of  near  three  hundred  miles  on  horse-back.  He, 
therefore,  returned  to  Fort  Smith ;  and  a  horse  having  been 
purchased,  he  started,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  in  com- 
pany with  brother  Adams,  from  the  Fort  Smith  circuit,  on 
a  trip  through  the  Cherokee  country.  The  missionaries 
rejoiced  to  see,  for  the  first  time,  a  Bishop  within  the 
bounds  of  their  work.  Nor  was  it  less  grateful  to  the 
pious  heart  of  the  Bishop  to  meet  with  these  faithful  mis- 
sionaries, and  to  behold  the  many  hundreds  of  Christian 
converts,  who,  through  their  instrumentality,  had  been 
gathered  into  the  fold  of  the  great  Shepherd.  The  Indi- 
ans, also,  were  greatly  delighted  with  the  Bishop's  visit. 
His  patriarchal  and  venerable  appearance,  his  kind  and 
affectionate  deportment  toward  them,  his  familiarity  in 
visiting  them,  eating  at  their  tables  and  lodging  in  their 
dwellings,  completely  won  their  confidence.  One  of  them, 
at  whose  house  he  spent  a  night,  said,  '  It  made  my  heart 
feel  so  warm  to  think  a  Bishop  would  come  and  stay  with 
me.'  Another,  on  first  seeing  him,  inquired  who  he  was, 
and  was  told  that  he  was  the  grand-father  of  all  the  mis- 
sionaries, '  Well,'  said  the  Indian,  scrutinizing  the  Bishop's 
furrowed  countenance  and  gray  hairs,  '  he  look  like  it.' 
After  spending  about  two  weeks  in  traveling  through  the 
nation,  visiting  the  missions  and  preaching,  he  returned  to 
29* 


342  CLOSING  LABORS.  [CHAP.  Xll. 

Fort  Smith,  in  company  with  D.  B.  Cummins,  the  super- 
intendent of  the  missions  among  the  Cherokees. 

<'  The  next  object  was  to  accomplish  the  journey  from 
Fort  Smith  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  on  the  Missouri  River,  a 
distance  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  I  was  to  have 
met  the  Bishop  at  Fort  Smith;  but  in  my  journey  through 
the  Choctaw  country  to  Red  River  and  back,  was  delayed 
longer  than  I  expected,  by  visiting  the  missions,  and  making 
some  arrangements  with  the  agent  and  the  nation,  relative 
to  the  establishment  of  a  large  manual  labor  school  at  Fort 
Coffee,  which  was  to  be  under  the  direction  of  our  mission- 
ary society.  Consequently,  I  failed  to  arrive  at  the  time 
appointed.  I  reached  there,  however,  on  April  1st.  The 
Bishop  and  brother  Cummins,  finding  their  horses  would 
work  in  the  carriage,  had  started  on  the  day  before  for  a 
quarterly  meeting,  which  was  to  be  held  on  the  Upper 
Cherokee  mission,  from  whence  they  would  proceed  to 
brother  Cummins'  residence,  on  the  border  of  the  Seneca 
nation,  about  ninety  miles  from  Fort  Smith,  on  the  road  to 
Fort  Leavenworth.  Here  I  joined  them  on  the  evening  of 
April  5;  and  found  that,  notwithstanding  the  exceeding 
roughness  of  the  roads,  they  had  met  with  no  accident  on 
their  journey,  except  breaking  the  tongue  of  the  carriage, 
which  was  easily  repaired. 

"Having  exchanged  the  wild  horse  which  I  had  been 
riding  for  one  that  would  work  in  harness,  and  sister 
Cummins  having  kindly  furnished  a  boiled  ham,  some 
biscuit,  <fcc.,  the  Bishop  started,  on  the  8th  of  April,  for 
the  Shawnee  mission.  The  weather  was  mild  and  pleas- 
ant, and  nature  was  robed  in  the  beautiful  livery  of  spring. 
As  the  road,  for  twenty  miles,  passed  through  the  Seneca 
and  Shawnee  nations,  some  evidences  of  improvement  were 
noticed ;  such  as  comfortable  cabins,  cattle,  hogs,  ponies, 
and  cultivated  fields ;  but  these  Indians  are  by  no  means  in 
a  prosperous  condition,  compared  with  many  of  the  western 


CHAP  XII.] 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


343 


tribes.  Several  beautiful  streams  were  crossed  during  the 
day,  on  the  banks  of  one  of  which  a  halt  was  made  about 
noon,  to  eat  a  lunch  and  feed  the  horses.  The  road  we  this 
day  traveled  was  pleasant,  with  the  exception  of  occasion- 
ally a  very  stony  place.  In  the  evening,  having  made  about 
thirty  miles,  the  Bishop  stopped  at  Mr.  Ezra  Wilson's, 
where  he  was  kindly  received,  and  spent  the  night  pleasantly. 

"  April  9.  Started  again,  and  after  riding  about  half  a  mile, 
crossed  Shoal  Creek,  a  stream  about  forty  yards  wide,  with 
a  rapid  current,  the  water  as  clear  as  crystal ;  rode  a  short 
distance  out  of  the  way  to  see  the  cataract,  where  the  water 
falls  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  feet  over  a  perpendicular 
ledge  of  rock,  which  extends  entirely  across  the  bed  of  the 
stream.  In  the  afternoon,  reached  the  residence  of  Judge 
Bright,  on  the  bank  of  Spring  River.  The  time  was  spent 
pleasantly  here,  until  Monday  morning.  The  Bishop 
preached  on  the  Sabbath. 

"  April  11.  Rose  by  daylight,  had  breakfast,  and  were  on 
the  road  early,  as  a  journey  of  forty-five  miles  had  to  be 
performed,  or  no  shelter  could  be  had  for  the  night.  The 
first  forty  miles  of  the  way  were  over  a  prairie,  without  a 
house,  and,  in  the  summer,  without  water ;  but  there  was 
no  lack  of  water  to-day ;  for  about  three  o'clock,  the  rain 
began  to  fall  in  torrents  ;  so  that  in  one  hour  the  prairie  was 
perfectly  deluged :  every  little  drain  became  an  angry 
torrent.  The  thunder  broke,  peal  after  peal,  in  one  con- 
tinuous and  deafening  roar ;  and  we  were  almost  blinded  by 
the  incessant  flashes  of  vivid  lightning.  The  wind,  more- 
over, swept  over  the  broad  and  naked  plains,  as  if  raging 
with  fury,  and  in  pursuit  of  something  on  which  to  spend 
its  force.  The  poor  horses  seemed  perfectly  paralized  witli 
fear.  It  was  impossible  to  urge  them  forward.  All  tliat 
could  be  done  was  to  turn  them  before  tlie  storm,  so  that 
the  wind  and  the  rain  might  beat  on  tlie  hind  part  of 
the  carriage;  and  thus  we   patiently  awaited  the  result 


844  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  XII. 

of  the  elemental  war.  Such  was  the  violence  of  the 
wind,  that  for  some  time  it  seemed  as  though  horses, 
carriage  and  all  would  be  driven  before  it,  and  dashed  to 
pieces.  But  He  who  said  to  the  storm,  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago,  '  Peace,  be  still,'  calmed  the  tempest  now,  and  we 
were  permitted  to  proceed  on  our  way  unharmed.  In  about 
two  hours,  we  reached  the  timber,  and  the  rain  again  com- 
menced pouring  down  in  torrents.  In  the  midst  of  the 
storm,  we  arrived  at  the  bank  of  a  considerable  stream, 
called  the  Dry  Wood,  which  was  any  thing  but  dry  wood 
then.  It  was  rising  rapidly,  and  appeared  as  if  it  wonld 
soon  be  swimming  deep,  if  it  was  not  so  already.  The 
banks  were  at  least  forty  feet  high,  and  steeper  than  the  roof 
of  a  house.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  It  was  impossible  to 
stay  where  we  were,  and  it  seemed  equally  so  to  go  forward  ; 
but  it  was  determined  to  make  the  effort.  I  handed  the 
lines  to  the  Bishop,  took  the  near-horse  by  the  bit,  and  led 
them  to  the  bank  of  the  stream.  The  horses  planted  their 
feet,  and  down  we  all  slid  together  ;  but  it  was  impossible  to 
stop  at  the  water's  edge  ;  and  before  we  could  call  a  halt,  I 
was  waist  deep  in  water.  But  the  stream  was  finally  passed 
in  safety  ;  and  after  losing  our  way,  and  traveling  three  or 
four  miles  through  the  rain,  another  similar  stream  was 
crossed  by  a  similar  process ;  and  shortly  after,  weary,  wet 
and  hungry,  the  place  of  destination  was  reached. 

"  For  the  last  three  days,  we  had  been  traveling  on  the  Old 
Harmony  mission  trace,  but  it  bears  too  much  to  the  east. 
On  inquiry,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  military  road,  which 
passes  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  the  southern  military 
posts,  was  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  miles  west  of  us. 
Accordingly,  in  the  morning,  we  struck  ofi"  over  the  prairie 
in  a  due  west  course,  as  near  as  we  could  judge,  and  about 
ten  o'clock  reached  the  road  of  which  we  were  in  search. 
During  the  day,  we  crossed  the  Osage  River,  Sugar  Creek, 
and  several  smaller  streams,  passed  over  some  most  beauti- 


CHAP.  Xn.3  CLOSING  LABORS.  345 

ful  and  fertile  country,  and  at  night  reached  the  falls  of  the 
Marie  des  Cygnes.  Here  was  an  Indian  trading-house, 
occupied  by  a  Frenchman  and  two  or  three  squaws.  Several 
Osage  Indians,  some  Pottawatomies,  and  two  or  three 
negroes  were  about.  This  was  the  place  where  we  expected 
to  pass  the  night.  We  drove  up  ;  the  trader  came  out,  and 
1  asked  him  if  we  could  stay  all  night  ?  He  seemed  quite 
grim,  and  said  he  was  not  prepared  to  keep  travelers.  I 
assured  him  that  we  were  not  at  all  particular  about  our 
personal  accommodation :  if  we  but  had  a  fire  and  shelter, 
we  would  be  satisfied :  our  principal  anxiety  was  to  procure 
some  grain  for  our  wearied  horses.  He  replied  that  he  had 
no  grain  except  what  he  bought,  and  that  we  could  not  stay. 
While  this  colloquy  was  going  on,  the  Bishop  sat  in  silence, 
on  the  hind-seat  of  the  carriage  ;  and  as  the  curtains  were 
down,  and  it  was  getting  dark,  the  trader  could  not  see  him. 
All  the  French  traders  in  the  Indian  country  are  Catholics ; 
and  it  just  then  occurred  to  me  that  we  were  not  more  than 
eighteen  or  twenty  miles  from  a  Catholic  mission  among  the 
Pottawatomies.  So  I  thought  I  would  try  an  experiment. 
And,  turning  round  on  my  seat,  I  said,  with  great  deference, 
but  quite  audibly,  ^Bishop,  what  is  to  be  done?'  '  Why, 
we  must  get  some  fire  and  camp  out,'  he  replied.  No  sooner 
did  the  sound  of  the  title  fall  on  the  Frenchman's  ears,  than 
an  entire  change  was  at  once  produced ;  and  hearing  the 
Bishop's  reply  to  my  question,  he  exclaimed,  '  O,  by  no 
means,  gentlemen :  you  shall  be  very  welcome  to  stay.' 
And  stay  we  did ;  and  both  ourselves  and  horses  fared 
exceedingly  well.  And  the  Bishop's  title,  which  I  did  not 
fail  to  use  on  all  occasions,  after  I  discovered  its  value,  paid 
all  expenses. 

"April  14.  The  morning  cold  and  frosty.  We  crossed  the 
Marie  des  Cygnes  at  the  falls,  and  proceeded  over  a  fine, 
high,  rolling  prairie,  till  about  nine  o'clock,  when  we  came 
to  a  small  stream  skirted  with  timber.    Just  above  where 


346  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  Xll. 

the  road  crossed,  we  noticed  smoke  ascending ;  and  con- 
cluding that  an  Indian  camp  was  there,  the  Bishop  deter- 
mined to  stop  and  warm  himself.  On  reaching  the  fire,  we 
found  a  Delaware  Indian  and  his  wife.  He  had  been 
making  his  winter's  hunt  on  the  waters  of  the  Arkansas, 
and  was  reluming  to  his  tribe  on  the  Missouri.  He  proved 
to  be  a  Christian,  a  member  of  our  Church.  He  had  seen 
me  at  a  camp  meeting,  which  I  attended  among  the  Dela- 
wares  the  previous  year,  and  recollected  me  as  soon  as  I 
approached  him.  When  I  told  him  who  the  Bishop  was, 
and  that  he  was  going  up  to  his  nation,  he  seemed  very- 
much  pleased;  but  nothing  near  as  much  as  the  Bishop  was, 
when  he  found  that  a  small  book  which  he  had  in  his  hand, 
and  which  he  was  reading  when  we  approached  his  camp, 
was  a  portion  of  the  New  Testament  that  has  been  trans- 
lated into  the  Delaware  language.  It  was,  indeed,  both 
beautiful  and  interesting,  to  see  this  pious  Indian,  at  his 
solitary  camp  in  the  wilderness,  searching  the  Scriptures. 
And  it  is  thus  the  ti-aveler  among  the  western  tribes, 
wherever  he  goes,  will  find  '  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom' 
has  been  scattered  by  the  faithful  missionaries.  May  God 
bless  them,  and  those  among  whom  they  labor,  and  prosper 
the  cause  in  which  they  are  engaged. 

"  Proceeding  on  our  journey,  about  noon  we  reached  a 
grove  of  timber  where  there  was  a  large  spring.  This  is  a 
great  camping  place  for  the  troops,  and  most  others  who 
travel  this  road.  We  determined  to  stop,  eat  our  noon 
lunch,  and  let  the  horses  pick  some  grass.  And  as  we  were 
in  a  great  hurry,  and  the  horses  were,  moreover,  so  gentle, 
it  was  thought  to  be  altogether  unnecessary  to  take  them 
from  the  carriage.  The  contents  of  our  wallet  were  spread 
out  on  the  grass,  and  the  Bishop  lifting  up  his  hands,  was 
in  the  act  of  asking  a  blessing  on  our  food,  when  away  went 
horses,  carriage  and  all.  In  three  minutes,  they  dashed,  at 
the  top  of  their  speed,  through  the  brush,  down  into  a 


CHAP.  Xn.]  CLOSING  LABORS.  347 

hollow :  there  they  upset  the  carriage,  crushed  the  top  all 
to  pieces,  broke  the  tongue,  and  one  of  the  whipple-trees, 
and  tore  loose  the  other:  then  away  they  went  over  an 
eminence,  where  they  were  out  of  sight.  The  carriage  was 
turned  right  side  up,  and  after  tracing  the  horses  about  two 
miles  they  were  found,  quietly  feeding  in  a  litde  valley,  and 
were  brought  back.  By  this  time,  it  was  probably  four 
o'clock.  One  of  two  things  had  to  be  done  :  we  were 
either  to  mount  the  horses  and  ride  to  the  mission,  which 
was  thirty  or  forty  miles  distant,  and  there  get  some  one  to 
come  back  with  a  team,  and  after  taking  the  carriage  apart, 
and  putting  it  into  a  big  wagon,  bring  it  on  to  us,  or  by  some 
means  it  was  to  be  patched  up  so  that  we  could  travel  in  it. 
It  was  finally  determined  to  try  to  repair  the  carriage,  and 
camp  there  all  night.  Before  leaving  Louisville,  I  remem- 
bered that  a  carriage  might  be  upset  and  broken  in  an  Indian 
country-  where  no  mechanics  could  be  met  with,  and  I,  there- 
fore, prepared  myself  with  some  girablets,  nails,  screws,  a 
hand-axe,  &c.  They  were  accordingly  used,  and  to  such 
good  advantage,  that  by  eight  o'clock  next  morning  the 
carriage  and  harness  were  as  strong,  if  not  quite  so  neat,  as 
they  were  before.  The  night,  however,  was  not  passed 
without  considerable  discomfort  to  the  Bishop. 

"  April  5.  After  traveling  hard  all  day,  without  even  stop- 
ping to  eat  a  mouthful  of  food,  we  reached  the  Indian 
Manual  Labor  School  about  dark.  Thus  did  the  old  man, 
bending  under  the  weight  of  more  than  threescore  years, 
travel  two  days  without  food,  e.vcept  a  small  quantity  of 
cold  meat  and  bread,  and  pass  the  night  without  a  tent,  or 
even  a  blanket  to  cover  him.  Such  are  some  of  the  priva- 
tions which  Methodist  Bishops  have  to  endure. 

"The  Bishop  had  promised  himself  great  satisfaction 
from  his  visit  to  these  missions  ;  but  was  much  cast  down 
by  learning,  on  his  arrival,  that  the  Rev.  William  Jolmson, 
the  superintendent,  had  died  the  week  before.    He  had 


348  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  XIl. 

been  laboring  among  the  Indians  for  ten  years,  and  was  . 
universally  beloved  and  confided  in  by  them.  The  arrival 
of  the  Bishop  was  most  opportune,  as  it  was  requisite  for 
him  to  appoint  another  superintendent,  and  make  some  other 
changes  which  the  death  of  brother  Johnson  had  rendered 
necessary.  After  spending  a  day  or  two  in  examining  the 
condition  of  the  school,  the  farm,  stock,  mechanics'  shops, 
&c.,  and  offering  some  suggestions  as  to  the  best  mode  of 
conducting  tlie  establishment,  and  making  some  slight 
alterations,  he  proceeded  to  visit  the  missions,  and  preaclied 
among  the  Shawnees,  Delawares  and  Kickapoos.  He  en- 
joyed himself  very  much ;  and  was  greatly  pleased  with 
the  condition  of  the  missions ;  and  also  with  what  he  saw 
on  his  visit  to  the  Moravian  mission  among  the  Delawares, 
and  the  Friends'  school  among  the  Shawnees. 

"  Having  disposed  of  the  carriage  and  horses  on  the  4th 
of  May,  the  Bisliop  took  passage,  at  the  Kansas  landing, 
on  the  Missouri  River,  for  St.  Louis,  on  the  steamboat 
Oceana,  Captain  Miller,  and  arrived  at  his  destination  on 
the  7th.  He  preached  in  the  city  twice,  and  assisted  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  Centenary  Church.  He 
concluded  to  relinquish  his  intended  trip  to  the  missions  on 
the  Upper  Mississippi ;  and  on  the  10th  of  May,  started  for 
home,  by  way  of  Louisville,  where  he  arrived  about  the 
20th.    He  remained  at  home  until  the  last  week  in  June." 

In  the  Indiana  conference  all  the  preachers  regarded  him 
as  a  venerable  patriarch  in  the  Church,  to  whom  they 
owed  the  highest  deference,  respect  and  honor.  They 
considered  that  such  was  his  due,  as  a  man,  a  Christian 
and  a  minister.  To  this  was  added,  too,  all  the  regard  which 
they  owed  to  a  Bisliop,  especially  the  senior  Bishop  in  the 
Church.  He  mingled  with  them  as  one  of  their  own 
body,  in  all  respects,  taking  part  in  all  the  benevolent  ope- 
rations of  the  conference,  whellier  missionary,  collegiate,  or 
of  any  other  description.   The  conference,  and  all  its  mem- 


CHAP.  XII.] 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


349 


bers,  responded  in  every  feeling,  act,  and  expression  of  love 
and  honor,  for  their  venerable  father  in  the  Gospel.  They 
were  very  solicitous,  as  already  stated,  that  he  should  re- 
side at  Albany,  Madison,  Greencastle,  or  some  more  central 
or  accessible  place  than  the  one  he  was  then  living  in. 
They  were,  also,  very  desirous  of  having  his  likeness  in 
full  size;  and,  accordingly,  at  their  conference,  in  1841, 
held  in  Terrehaute,  on  the  6th  of  October,  they  unanim- 
ously passed  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  our  venerable  and  beloved  Superin- 
tendent, Bishop  Roberts,  be,  and  he  is  hereby  requested, 
at  his  first  convenient  opportunity,  to  sit  for  his  portrait, 
and  that  the  preachers  of  this  conference  be  permitted  to 
defray  the  expense  which  may  accrue  in  obtaining  such 
portrait." 

The  good  Bishop  was  never  forward  to  exhibit  himself, 
and  would,  probably,  have  taken  no  step  in  having  his  por- 
trait painted,  had  he  not  been  reminded  of  the  conference 
resolution  at  a  future  time.  Accordingly,  on  May  20th, 
1842,  Rev.  Messrs.  Simpson  and  E.  R.  Ames,  addressed  a 
letter  to  him  at  his  residence,  in  which,  after  quoting  the 
resolution,  they  say : 

"  Our  object  in  addressing  you  now  is,  to  express  our 
strong  desire  that  you  would  comply,  as  soon  as  practi- 
cable, with  this  request  of  the  conference ;  and  as  a  portrait 
painter,  who  has  executed  some  good  likenesses  in  this 
place,  will  return  here  by  the  1st  of  July,  we  would 
urgently  request  you  to  visit  us  and  remain  from  the  first 
to  the  middle  of  the  month,  that  yours  may  then  be  taken. 

We  suppose  that  this  time  will  suit  you,  as  you  will 
then  be  on  your  way  to  Chicago ;  and  we  need  scarcely 
remind  you  diat  your  advanced  age  and  arduous  labors 
admonish  us  to  secure,  while  we  may,  an  accurate  like- 
ness of  one  who  has  been  identified  with  so  much  that 
dearly  concerns  our  Church,  and  who,  to  so  many  of  this 
30 


350 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


[chap.  XII. 


conference  in  particular,  has  been  a  spiritual  father  and 
guide. 

"  Brother  Beswick  offers  liis  services  to  bring  you  here 
in  a  carriage;  and  unless  you  should  decline  complying 
with  our  request,  he  will  either  go  or  send  for  you,  so  that 
you  can  be  here  by  the  time  specified. 

"  If  you  come,  as  we  hope  you  will,  you  need  not  trouble 
yourself  to  give  us  an  answer,  as  all  arrangements  will  be 
accordingly  made ;  but  if  you  should  be  unable  to  comply, 
we  would  much  desire  an  immediate  answer." 

In  pursuance  of  this  request,  the  Rev.  Isaac  Crawford, 
of  the  Indiana  conference,  proceeded  to  the  Bishop's  resi- 
dence, with  a  horse  and  carriage,  to  convey  him  to  Green- 
castle.  They,  accordingly,  started  for  this  place,  in  the 
last  week  of  June,  and  arrived  there  early  in  July.  The 
Bishop  spent  about  two  weeks  with  his  friends  at  the  Uni- 
versity ;  and,  during  his  stay,  his  portrait  was  taken  at  full 
size,  which  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  likeness,  and  is  depos- 
ited among  the  archives  of  the  University,  of  which  he 
was  a  principal  patron  and  benefactor.  He  enjoyed  this 
visit  very  mucli,  and  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  appear- 
ance, condition,  management  and  prospects  of  the  Univer- 
sity. From  its  origin  he  had  taken  a  great  interest  in  the 
institution.  Several  years  previous  to  this  visit,  he  had 
made  a  donation  to  it  of  one  hundred  dollars ;  and  his 
interest  in  it,  and  his  ardent  desire  for  its  success,  continued 
to  the  last.  Even  on  his  death  bed,  after  providing  for  the 
comfortable  support  of  his  aged  widow,  paying  his  debts, 
and  assisting  some  poor  relatives,  he  made  the  University 
his  residuary  legatee.  His  portrait  is  placed  in  the  large 
chapel  of  the  college  edifice,  which  casts  its  evening  shadow 
on  the  quiet  grave  where  the  mortal  remains  of  the  Bishop 
now  repose. 

During  his  stay  at  Greencastle,  while  the  portrait  was 
being  taken.  President  Simpson,  as  already  stated,  wrote 


CHAP.  XII.3 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


351 


down,  from  his  own  mouth,  a  brief  outline  of  his  early  life, 
Christian  experience,  and  ministerial  labors,  to  the  year 
1808.  This  outline  comprises  thirty-six  pages,  half  fool- 
scap, closely  written,  which  the  writer  of  these  pages 
acknowledges  to  have  been  of  great  advantage  to  him  in 
preparing  the  present  account  of  the  venerable  Bishop. 
If  the  pressing  literary  labors  of  Dr.  Simpson  had  per- 
mitted him  to  have  written  the  life  of  Bishop  Roberts,  the 
author  is  persuaded  the  public  would  have  had  a  more  com- 
plete and  interesting  narrative  than  the  one  now  furnished. 

Having  made  an  arrangement  with  brother  Crawford  to 
accompany  him,  and  convey  him  in  his  carriage,  he  set  out 
for  Chicago  from  Greencastle,  about  the  middle  of  July. 
On  his  way,  he  spent  several  days  at  Ashgrove,  Iroquois 
county,  Llinois,  the  present  residence  of  his  brother,  Lewis 
Roberts.  From  this  place  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  nephew, 
James  Roberts,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract.  The 
letter  is  dated  July  21st,  1842 : 

"I  spent  ten  or  twelve  days  at  Greencastle,  preached 
several  times  with  them,  and  had  my  likeness  taken  in  full 
length ;  and  some  persons  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  a 
very  good  one.  As  for  my  part,  I  cannot  tell.  We  took 
six  or  eight  persons  into  the  Church  at  the  late  quarterly 
meeting  in  this  grove.  We  are  to  have  a  two  days  meet- 
ing, near  Moore's,  on  Sugar  Creek,  to  commence  on  Satur- 
day, 23d.  After  this  meeting,  I  am  to  preach  at  Cunoan's, 
on  Wednesday  evening,  and  spend  the  next  Sabbath  in 
Juliet,  and  on  Monday  ride  to  the  seat  of  conference." 

He  was  in  Chicago  as  early  as  August  2d,  where  he  met 
brother  Ames,  on  his  return  from  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
after  visiting  the  Indian  missions  in  that  distant  region. 
On  the  3d,  the  Rock  River  conference  commenced  its  ses- 
sion, and  the  Bishop  presided  with  his  usual  courtesy, 
dignity  and  propriety.  He  preached  on  Sabbath,  and 
ordained  a  number  of  deacons  and  elders.    On  Monday 


352 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


[chap.  XII. 


night  of  the  conference,  he  was  present  at  the  missionary 
anniversary,  a  thing  he  rarely  omitted  when  attending  the 
conferences. 

On  Friday  the  12th  of  August,  he  set  out  for  Winchester, 
the  seat  of  the  Illinois  conference,  and  arrived  there  ou 
Thursday  the  18th,  one  day  after  the  conference  commenced, 
considerably  indisposed.  This  was  a  heavy  conference, 
and  the  stationing  of  the  preachers  and  the  other  duties 
devolving  on  him,  were  necessarily  very  oppressive.  But 
he  bore  up  under  them,  and  seemed,  if  possible,  more 
anxious  than  usual,  to  fulfill  the  entire  duties  of  his  office. 
But  it  was  evident  to  all,  that  it  required  a  great  effort  in 
him  to  accomplish  his  work. 

Having  finished  the  business  of  the  Illinois  conference, 
he  proceeded  in  an  open  buggy  to  Jefferson  City,  Missouri, 
the  seat  of  the  Missouri  conference,  which  commenced 
August  31st,  and  adjourned  September  8th.  The  weather 
was  oppressively  hot  during  his  journey;  and  it  was  very 
apparent  that  his  health  was  failing.  He,  however,  mus- 
tered up  all  iiis  strength,  and  was  able  to  attend  to  his  duties, 
though  greatly  exhausted  by  labor  and  incipient  disease. 
He  iiad  frequently  remarked  to  Rev.  E.  R.  Ames,  that  he 
was  doing  his  last  yearns  work.  In  his  intercourse  with 
preacliers,  and  in  all  the  business  of  conference,  he  was 
even  more  careful,  if  possible,  than  usual,  to  avoid  wounding 
the  feelings  of  brethren,  that  there  might  not  be  any  unplea- 
sant reflections  mingled  with  the  memory  of  their  last 
interview  with  him.  The  session  was  one  of  great  har- 
mony. The  preachers  were  peculiarly  delighted  with 
having  him  to  preside  in  their  conference.  This  was 
their  twenty -seventh  session,  and  he  had  been  present  at 
fourteen  of  them.  And  though  tliey  esteemed  and  loved 
all  the  superintendents,  yet  they  seemed  to  look  on  Bishop 
Roberts,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  as  the  father,  under  God, 
of  the  Missouri  conference.    After  the  business  of  the  con- 


CHAP.  XII.] 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


353 


ference  had  been  finished,  except  reading  the  appointments 
and  the  closing  exercises,  tlie  preachers  and  a  great  crowd 
of  Church  members  and  citizens  had  assembled  at  the  court- 
house to  witness  the  final  doings.  The  closing  scene  was 
particularly  touching  and  interesting,  and  is  said  by  those 
who  were  present  to  bafile  description. 

The  Bishop  leaning  on  his  staff,  as  under  the  presenti- 
ment of  never  meeting  them  again  in  this  world,  gave  out 
the  hymn,  which  has  been  sung  so  many  times  as  the 
valedictory  of  conferences : 

"  And  let  our  bodies  part, 

To  different  climes  repair ; 
Inseparably  joined  in  heart 

The  friends  of  Jesus  are,"  &c. 

The  preachers  and  congregation  united  in  singing,  with 
the  spirit  and  understanding,  the  whole  hymn.  The  Rev. 
li.  Swormstedt  then  led  in  prayer.  More  than  ordinary 
Divine  influence  seemed  to  rest  on  the  preachers  and  people. 
After  prayer,  and  before  reading  the  appointments,  the 
Bishop  paused  a  moment,  and  then  addressed  the  conference 
in  a  most  feeling  manner,  respecting  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  Church  in  Missouri.  He  gave  considerable  statisti- 
cal matter,  referring  to  the  number  of  preachers  when  the 
conference  was  first  organized,  and  to  the  advancement  of 
the  membership.  lie  adverted  to  his  visit  to  the  first 
Missouri  conference,  when  it  embraced  within  its  bounds 
almost  one-third  of  the  entire  Mississippi  Valley.  Many 
faithful  Methodist  preachers  had  fallen  since  then — fallen  at 
their  posts,  with  their  armor  on,  and  in  hope  of  heaven. 
Some  were  now  members  of  other  conferences :  others, 
pressed  with  afflictions  and  cares,  or  it  might  be  with  temp- 
tations, had  retired  from  tiie  work.  So  that  of  the  number 
that  composed  the  first  conference,  but  one  or  two  remained. 
God,  however,  had  greatly  blessed  tliem.  He  stated  that 
he  had  presided  over  their  annual  deliberations,  just  one- 
30* 


354  CLOSING  LABORS.  [CHAP.'XII. 

half  of  the  time  since  they  were  organized  into  a  conference. 
He  had  marked  their  prosperity  with  joy  and  with  thankful- 
ness to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church.  Where  their  Israel 
formerly  numbered  only  units  it  now  numbered  tens,  and 
where  it  numbered  tens  it  now  numbered  hundreds.  For 
the  success  which  had  crowned  their  labors,  they  ought  to 
be  thankful,  and  he  trusted  they  were  thankful.  But  they 
should  rejoice  with  trembling,  remembering  how  great  was 
their  responsibility.  His  age  and  increasing  infirmities, 
admonished  him  that  his  work  was  nearly  finished.  He 
never  expected  to  meet  with  them  again.  But  if  they  con- 
tinued to  walk  in  the  old  paths,  and  to  follow  the  guidance 
of  the  Great  Shepherd,  all  would  be  well.  The  flock 
would  increase,  and  they  would  dwell  in  safety. 

Sometimes  during  his  address,  the  Bishop  was  so  much 
affected,  that  he  was  unable  to  proceed  without  pausing. 
Toward  the  close,  a  remark  dropped  from  his  lips  which 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  it.  It  was,  "  I 
feel  like  a  father  leaving  his  children."  All  present  were 
melted  into  tears,  whether  preachers.  Church  members  or 
citizens — the  preachers  "  sorrowing  most  of  all  for  the 
words  which  he  spoke,  that  they  should  see  his  face  no 
more."  The  appointments  were  then  read,  and  the 
preachers  dispersed  to  their  several  fields  of  labor. 

Tlie  Bishop  remarked  to  Rev.  E.  R.  Ames,  on  his 
death-bed,  that  he  was  never  well  one  day  after  the  session 
of  this  conference. 

When  the  preachers  met  the  following  year,  in  confer- 
ence, at  Lexington,  Missouri,  October  4th,  1843,  the  absence 
of  Bishop  Roberts,  in  connection  with  his  death,  brought  the 
closing  scene  of  the  preceding  conference  to  their  minds 
with  all  its  touching  incidents.  They  formally  intro- 
duced the  subject  of  his  death,  with  all  the  feeling  of 
bereaved  children,  and  narrated  the  words  that  had  dropped 
from  his  lips  as  he  addressed  them  for  the  last  time.  And 


CHAP,  xn.] 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


355 


again  they  wept ;  and  still  continued  to  weep,  because  of 
the  words  which  he  had  last  spoken  to  them,  in  probability, 
but  which  were  now  positively  fulfilled,  "  You  will  likely 
never  see  my  face  again."  By  their  vote,  Bishop  Andrew 
preached  a  funeral  sermon ;  and  the  members  of  confer- 
ence, in  mournful  attendance,  continued  to  express  their 
high  regard  for  departed  worth,  as  they  listened  to  the 
discourse. 

From  Jefferson  City,  he  returned  home ;  and  after  spend- 
ing a  short  time  there,  repaired  to  Helena,  in  order  to 
attend  the  Arkansas  conference.  His  health  was  very 
feeble;  and,  providentially.  Bishop  Andrew  was  present, 
who  relieved  him  from  much  of  the  business  of  confer- 
ence. There  he  finished  his  conference  labors  and  his  min- 
isterial work,  except  preaching  a  few  times,  and  aiding  in 
holding  some  religious  meetings : 

"Servant  of  God,  well  done,"  «S!;c. 

In  the  division  of  episcopal  work  among  the  Superin- 
tendents, for  the  year  1842,  Bishop  Roberts  was  to  visit 
the  Texas  conference,  which  had  its  session  at  Bastrop, 
December  22d,  1842.  At  the  previo\is  session,  held  in 
San  Augustine,  December  28th,  1841,  at  which  Bishop 
Morris  presided,  the  following  resolutions  were  passed  in 
reference  to  the  contemplated  visit  of  Bishop  Roberts : 

«•  1.  Resolved,  That  the  members  of  this  conference  have 
heard  with  gi-eat  pleasure,  through  Bishop  Morris,  that  in 
the  regular  episcopal  visitations,  the  attendance  and  services 
of  our  venerable  father  in  the  Gospel,  Rev.  R.  R.  Roberts, 
the  senior  Bisliop,  may  be  expected  at  tlie  next  session  of 
the  Texas  conference. 

♦'2.  Resolved,  That  the  members  of  conference  will  de- 
voutly pray  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  to  give  to  our 
venerable  Bishop  good  speed  in  his  visit  to  our  infant 
Republic. 

"3.  Resolved,  That  should  Providence,  in  any  event, 


356 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


[chap.  XU. 


prevent  the  attendance  of  our  beloved  Superintendent,  as 
above,  we  hope,  most  sincerely,  that  we  may  not  be  left 
without  the  services  of  one  of  our  esteemed  Superintend- 
ents at  our  next  session,  to  be  held  at  Bastrop,  December 
22,  1842. 

«'4.  Resolved,  That  should  Bishop  Roberts,  or  any  other 
of  our  Bishops,  visit  us  at  the  next  session,  we  will  afford 
every  facility  necessary  for  their  safe  and  comfortable  con- 
veyance through  any  part  of  the  Republic  they  may  wish 
to  visit." 

In  consequence  of  the  toils  of  his  Indian  journey,  and 
the  labors  of  the  conferences  which  he  attended,  as  well  as 
the  increasing  infirmities  of  old  age.  Bishop  Roberts  felt 
himself  unable  to  attend  the  Texas  conference.  His  brother, 
Lewis,  under  date  of  September  18th,  1842,  writes  in  the 
following  discouraging  terms:  "Your  journey  to  Texas 
seems  to  me  to  be  too  laborious  for  your  age  and  consti- 
tution. I  am  very  doubtful  on  that  subject.  Perhaps  I 
may  see  you  before  you  undertake  it.  I  think  that  I  will 
not  encourage  your  going.  Age  and  debility  require  some 
rest  and  leisure  at  home."  Indeed,  most  persons  were  of 
the  opinion  that  it  was  too  severe  a  journey  for  him  at  his 
age,  and  under  the  circumstances. 

Besides,  the  unsettled  state  of  things  in  Texas,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  war  with  Mexico,  made  the  visit  of  an  old  and 
infirm  man  to  the  Republic  appear  no  very  pleasant  under- 
taking. He  was  advised,  in  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Little- 
ton Fowler,  dated  November  13th,  1842,  that  Texas  was 
then,  or  would  be  shortly,  invaded  by  the  Mexicans,  both 
by  sea  and  land ;  and  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  go  by 
the  way  of  Galveston ;  and,  moreover,  that  the  preachers 
would  probably  remove  the  seat  of  conference  from  Bastrop, 
which  was  a  frontier  town,  and  near  the  seat  of  war,  to 
some  other  place ;  perhaps  to  Houston,  or  San  Augustine. 
In  such  an  event,  the  Bishop  was  advised  to  ascend  Red 


CHAP.  XII.]  CLOSING  tABORS.  357 

River  to  Natchitoches.  It  was  then  difficult,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  war,  to  hire  horses  for  traveling.  In  view 
of  these  things,  it  is  not  marvelous  that  the  visit  to  Texas 
was  considered  by  his  friends  as  beyond  his  strength. 

Such,  too,  was  the  state  of  his  health  at  the  close  of  the 
Arkansas  conference,  that  his  friends  strenuously  advised 
him  not  to  attempt  his  visit  to  Texas.  He,  therefore, 
finally  determined  to  return  home,  where  he  arrived  sliortly 
before  Christmas. 

Bishop  Roberts,  during  the  last  year  of  his  life,  preached 
the  Gospel  in  six  different  states,  and  among  four  distinct 
Indian  nations  in  the  territories  west  of  the  United  States. 
He  presided  at  four  annual  conferences;  and,  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duties,  traveled  on  horse-back,  in  private 
carriages,  in  steamboats  and  stages,  five  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty-four  miles.  Tlie  various  duties  connected 
with  such  extensive  traveling,  require  an  amount  of  labor 
for  which  the  vigor  of  middle  age  would  seem  to  be  alone 
adequate.  Nevertheless,  the  worthy  veteran  continued  to 
discharge  them  until  he  could  toil  no  longer. 

The  Bishops,  on  their  journeyings  to  and  from  confer- 
ences, are  earnestly  beset,  at  many  places,  to  stop  and 
preach.  The  calls  are  far  more  numerous  than  can  be  met. 
The  importunity  and  earnestness  with  which  they  are 
pressed,  show  with  what  interest  the  visits  and  preaching 
of  our  Bishops  are  regarded.  We  have  many  communi- 
cations before  us,  sent  to  Bishop  Roberts  from  brethren  and 
citizens  at  a  distance,  in  which  a  great  variety  of  reasons 
are  urged  to  induce  him  to  visit  and  preach  at  certain 
places.    We  select  a  few. 

A  committee  of  five,  deputed,  no  doubt,  by  others,  sent 
their  petition  from  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  to  Greensburg, 
Ky.,  in  order  to  induce  him  to  visit  them.  They  use  the 
following  language:  "  We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  ap- 
pended, earnestly  solicit  you  to  spend  a  few  days  with  us. 


358  CLOSING  LABORS.  [CHAP.  XII. 

on  your  journey  to  the  Holston  conference,  at  Kingsport.  It 
will  be  very  little,  if  any,  out  of  your  way;  and  you  can 
preach  for  us,  and,  also,  rest  amongst  us.  The  people 
generally  will  be  very  glad  to  see  you,  and  hear  you 
preach." 

A  very  respectable  committee  of  three  write  in  the  fol- 
lowing pressing  terms,  in  behalf  of  many  citizens :  "  We 
respectfully  request  you  to  attend  a  three  days  meeting  at 
this  place,  on  the  21st,  22d  and  23d  days  of  next  month, 
when  on  your  way  from  the  conference ;  or,  if  it  will  not 
suit  your  convenience  to  attend  the  meeting,  we  wish  you, 
by  all  means,  to  give  us  a  call." 

Anotlier  good  and  zealous  brother,  being  very  desirous 
of  securing  the  Sabbath  services  of  Bishop  Roberts,  writes 
the  annexed  urgent  request.  The  Bishop  had  purposed 
going  another  route,  and  spending  the  Sabbath  at  a  certain 
place,  but  the  person  who  was  to  convey  him  had  failed  to 
come  up  to  his  engagement.  The  zealous  brother  takes 
advantage  of  the  circumstance,  and  says:  "As  brother  P., 
from  R.,  did  not  meet  you  at  Middlebury,  according  to  his 
proposal,  I  suppose  you  will  feel  that  you  are  discharged 
from  any  obligation  to  spend  the  Sabbath  in  R. ;  therefore, 
I  shall  expect  you  here  next  Sabbath,  and  shall  give  notice 
accordingly.  Do  not  disappoint  us.  You  will  take  the 
stage  on  Saturday  morning  at  5  o'clock,  and  arrive  here  about 
10.  Brother  P.,  tlie  stage-driver,  will  call  at  brother  O.'s 
for  you.    I  will  give  him  directions." 

Another  writes  thus:  "The  preachers  have  given  cur- 
rency to  a  report  that  you  would  be  here  and  preach  at  the 
opening  of  our  new  church.  It  will  not  be  entirely  finished ; 
but  will  be  in  a  suitable  state  to  answer  our  purpose.  The 
brethren  have  appointed  a  two  days  meeting  to  commence 
at  that  time.  Perhaps  it  was  imprudent  for  our  brethren  to 
favor  the  expectation  of  your  presence ;  yet  such  is  the 
state  of  things,  that  many  will  be  disappointed  should  you 


CHAP.  XII.3  CLOSING  LABORS.  359 

not  arrive.  If  you  are  only  here,  even  should  you  be 
unable  to  preach,  they  will  be  much  gratified.  If  you  will 
specify  the  place  and  time  at  which  we  shall  meet  you 
with  a  conveyance,  our  brethren  will  punctually  be  there." 

Requests  of  this  description  were  so  numerous  that  it 
was  impossible  for  the  Bishop  to  attend  to  one-tenth  of  them. 
Sometimes  the  brethren  and  preachers  complain  that  the 
Bishops  never  visit  them  at  all,  or  so  seldom  that  they  con- 
sider themselves  neglected.  Indeed,  the  Bishops  would 
have  to  attend  many  places  at  the  same  time,  in  order  to 
gratify  the  wishes  of  all  the  people. 

We  stated  in  a  former  page,  that  the  General  conference 
of  1816  passed  a  resolution,  making  it  the  duty  of  the  Book 
Committee  at  New  York,  to  decide  what  sum  was  necessary 
for  the  family  expenses  of  the  married  Bishops.  Tliis 
duty  they  performed  until  1836,  when  the  rule  was  so 
changed  as  to  authorize  a  committee  appointed  by  the  annual 
conference,  in  which  a  Bishop  or  Bishops  may  reside,  to 
estimate  the  amount  necessary.  We  find  the  appropriations 
in  the  case  of  Bishop  Roberts  for  the  whole  time  as  follows  : 
from  May,  1819,  to  May,  1832,  two  hundred  dollars  per 
annum;  from  May,  1832,  to  May,  1836,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars;  from  May,  1836,  to  May,  1840,  three  hundred 
dollars.  From  that  time  to  his  death,  four  hundred  dollars 
per  year.  And  as  he  had  no  children,  his  quarterage  was 
two  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  which  he  received  from 
the  various  conferences.  His  actual  traveling  expenses 
were  also  paid,  amounting  to  more  or  less,  according  to 
the  extent  and  manner  of  traveling. 

In  the  accounts  at  New  York,  as  already  stated,  there  is 
no  entry  made  of  any  sum  appropriated  to  the  Bishop  before 
May,  1819,  and  the  Agents  think  that  the  accounts  must  have 
perished  in  the  destruction  of  the  Book  Concern,  in  1836, 
by  fire.  We  suppose  that  either  there  was  no  appropriation 
made,  or  that  he  never  drew  it.    Indeed,  as  late  as  1825, 


360 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


[chap.  XII. 


he  was  slow  in  drawing  his  appropriation,  as  we  learn  from 
the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to  him  from  Dr.  Bangs, 
dated  September  17th,  1825.  "The  committee  appointed 
by  the  last  General  conference  to  estimate  the  allowance  of 
the  Bishops,  have  authorized  you  to  draw  from  the  Book 
Concern,  for  the  present  year,  tivo  hundred  dollars.  The 
same  amount  was  allowed  you  last  year,  tiiough  from  our 
not  having  made  the  announcement  to  you,  it  is  feared  that 
you  have  not  received  the  information.  If  so,  you  will 
consider  yourself  as  authorized  to  draw  four  hundred  dol- 
lars." It  is  very  probable,  that  he  drew  nothing  at  all  for 
family  expenses  during  the  first  three  years  of  his  episco- 
pacy, and  that  he  would  never  have  applied  for  any,  had  he 
not  been  reminded  that  it  was  his  privilege.  Not  but  that 
he  needed  the  money  to  supply  the  comforts  of  life  ;  but 
such,  as  before  intimated,  was  his  independence  of  mind, 
and  his  patience  to  endure  almost  every  privation,  that  he 
would  suffer  any  thing  rather  than  utter  a  word  of  informa- 
tion concerning  his  most  pressing  wants. 

We  have  just  seen  that  Bishop  Roberts'  allowance  for 
house-rent,  fuel  and  table  expenses,  was  exceedingly  moder- 
ate ;  and  even  when  the  quarterage  both  for  himself  and 
wife  was  added,  the  whole  amounted  to  a  very  limited  support. 
The  fact  that  they  sustained  themselves  with  this  amount, 
can  only  be  accounted  for  by  their  industry  and  economy. 

The  Bishops,  too,  have  expenses  peculiar  to  themselves. 
If  they  attend  a  missionary,  Bible  or  any  other  meeting  of 
this  description,  they  are  expected  to  be  the  first  contributors, 
and  among  the  largest  too.  At  conferences  they  are  neces- 
sarily and  continually  giving.  Every  one  knows,  there  are 
numerous  collections  made  every  year  in  each  conference, 
among  the  preachers  themselves,  for  needy  brethren ;  and 
the  Bishop  must,  of  course,  take  the  lead  in  contributing,  if 
in  nothing  else.  And  then  there  are  public  contributions 
taken  each  year  at  the  conferences,  and  the  Bishop  is  expected 


CHAP.  XIl.]  CLOSING  LABORS.  361 

to  give  on  such  occasions;  and,  therefore,  his  contribu- 
tions must  be  such  as  will  furnish  a  good  example  for  others. 
Our  literary  institutions  are  often  indebted,  also,  to  the 
Bishops  for  examples  of  liberal  contributions.  These  con- 
tributions all  put  together  make  a  large  amount. 

Bishops,  too,  must  use  hospitality  in  their  own  houses. 
They  are  known  personally,  or  from  reputation,  by  every 
preacher  and  member  of  the  Church.  The  calls  at  their 
houses  by  their  friends  form  a  considerable  item  of  expense, 
which  must  be  met,  unless  they  will  disgrace  themselves 
and  the  Church  to  which  they  belong,  by  shutting  their 
doors  against  the  entry  of  those  friends,  or  by  observing  a 
parsimony  which  is  unscriptural  and  unchristian. 

We  have  sometimes  heard  small  whisperings  that  our 
Bishops  receive  more  than  many  other  preachers,  and  that 
they  ought  to  be  curtailed  in  the  amounts  now  appropriated. 
This  is  very  unjust  in  reference  to  the  men,  and  very  inju- 
rious to  the  interests  of  the  Church.  Bishop  Roberts  was 
the  first  married  Bishop  in  our  Church.  It  was  well  for  him 
that  his  family  was  so  small,  and  that  he  had  a  wife  who 
always  more  than  supported  herself,  by  the  actual  labor  of 
her  own  hands.  And  it  is  well  known  that  in  consequence 
of  his  limited  circumstances,  and  the  want  of  support  from 
the  Church,  he  first  fled  to  the  wilderness  of  Shenango,  and 
then  of  Indiana,  that  he  might  meet  the  exigencies  of  his 
situation,  and  bear  his  privations  unobserved. 

And  then  mark  his  liberality.  He  was  always  ready  to 
contribute  beyond  his  means,  to  every  benevolent  institution 
of  the  Church,  and  to  meet  the  wants  of  his  fellow  crea- 
tures. Our  literary  institutions  shared  his  largest  benefac- 
tions. He  felt  the  want  of  more  learning  himself,  and  he 
•was  very  desirous  of  promoting  literature  in  the  Church. 
We  find  receipts  among  his  papers,  which  go  to  show  that 
he  contributed  a  hundred  dollars  to  each  of  the  four  following 
institutions,  namely,  the  Weslevan  University,  Alleghany 
31 


362 


CLOSING  LABORS. 


[chap.  xn. 


College,  St.  Charles  College  and  Asbury  University ;  and 
we  presume  he  was  equally  liberal  to  all  the  other  institu- 
tions of  learning  in  our  Church.  The  case  of  the  New 
Orleans  Church,  to  which  he  contributed  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, as  we  have  noticed  in  a  preceding  page,  is  only  one 
known  specimen  of  his  liberality,  out  of  the  great  many 
which  are  unknown  to  any  except  to  those  who  shared  his 
generosity.  As  a  proof  of  his  regard  for  our  literary  insti- 
tutions, he  made  the  Asbury  University  heir  of  his  all. 

It  is  a  low  calculation  for  us  to  make,  that  he  expended  in 
benevolent  contributions,  annually,  more  than  he  received 
from  the  Church  for  family  expenses.  He  was  enabled  to 
do  this,  by  an  economy  and  industry  at  home  that  very  few 
would  submit  to. 

Still,  we  cannot  approve  of  the  course  of  Bishop  Roberts, 
in  selecting  an  obscure  neighborhood  for  the  place  of  his 
residence.  His  living  example  and  influence  while  at 
home,  were  by  this  means  nearly  lost  to  the  Church.  Had 
he  resided  in  some  region  densely  populated,  his  influence 
in  favor  of  religion  would  have  been  felt  extensively.  But 
the  Church  drove  him  to  the  wilderness  by  her  parsimony, 
and  she  lost,  by  a  just  retribution,  the  weighty  influence  of 
his  example  to  a  serious  extent. 

And  now  will  the  Church  herself  learn  what  is  her  duty 
to  her  Bishops  ?  We  trust  that  she  will.  These  venerable 
men  have  expenses  peculiar  to  their  station;  and  it  is 
injurious  to  the  interests  of  the  Church,  so  to  curtail  them 
in  pecuniary  supplies,  that  they  will  be  unable  to  use  hos- 
pitality, prevented  from  being  good  examples  to  others,  and 
even  forced  to  settle  down  with  their  families  in  some  retired 
spot,  where  their  expenses  will  be  less,  and  their  privations 
can  be  borne  with  little  embarrassment. 

The  labors  of  Methodist  Bishops  are  truly  arduous. 
Perhaps  no  class  of  clergymen  perform  an  amount  of  service 
equal  to  theirs. 


CHAP.  Xn.]  CLOSING  LABORS.  363 

Look  at  a  Bishop  during  the  sessions  of  an  annual  con- 
ference. He  is  the  complete  drudge  of  the  whole  confer- 
ence. He  must  be  always  first  and  last  in  the  conference, 
must  never  leave  his  seat,  and  must  watch  vigilantly  the 
doings  of  the  whole  body,  so  as  to  direct  its  movements  in 
an  orderly  manner.  And  then  in  the  intervals  between  the 
sittings  of  conference,  every  moment  of  his  time,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  is  occupied.  He  and  the  presiding 
elders,  as  his  council  or  advisers,  have  afternoon  and  night 
sessions,  and  often,  indeed  mosdy,  to  a  late  hour,  so  as  fre- 
quently to  go  beyond  midnight.  In  the  morning,  by  daylight 
some  one  knocks  at  his  door,  before  he  has  had  sufficient 
rest,  asking  an  interview  with  him.  The  person  is  a 
preacher,  and  has  something  to  say  about  his  peculiar  family 
circumstances,  having  a  bearing  on  his  appointment.  Or 
perhaps  he  is  a  layman,  who  has  come  to  conference  to 
endeavor  to  obtain  the  services  of  a  certain  preacher  for  the 
benefit  of  his  circuit  or  station,  which,  of  course,  is  pecu- 
liarly situated,  and  has  special  claims.  Scarcely  has  he 
retired,  before  anotlier  comes,  or  rather  of  the  several  who 
are  wailing,  one  by  one  enters,  and  presents  his  plea,  of  one 
kind  or  another,  until  at  length  breakfast  is  on  the  table,  and 
the  Bishop  is  not  yet  done  in  courteously  listening  to  the 
statements  of  his  visitors.  The  other  preachers  and  the 
family  must  attend  family  worship  without  him,  as  he  is 
still  detained.  When  family  prayer  is  over,  and  even 
breakfast  half  done,  he  barely  finishes  the  conversations  with 
his  visitors,  and  then  conference  is  about  to  sit,  and  the 
other  visitors,  who  came  for  interviews  while  he  was  at 
breakfast,  have  also  their  claims  for  an  audience.  But  the 
hour  is  come  for  conference  to  meet,  and  the  Bishop  must 
be  there.  So  the  remaining  conversations  must  be  attended 
to  on  the  way,  and  the  time  is  well  filled  up,  until  the  very 
moment  for  opening  the  session  abruptly  breaks  off  the 
interviews.    In  a  similar  way,  when  not  engaged  with  the 


364  CLOSING  LABORS.  [cHAP.  XII. 

presiding  elders,  every  moment  passes  from  the  conclusion 
of  the  session  until  late  at  night.  And  then  when  the 
Bishop  at  length  retires  to  his  room,  the  several  communi- 
cations received  during  the  day,  and  which  its  pressing 
duties  did  not  enable  him  to  examine,  must  be  read  and 
considered,  and  perhaps  several  letters  written  before  he 
goes  to  rest;  if,  indeed,  the  pen  does  not  drop  from  his 
hand  by  the  encroachment  of  involuntary  sleep,  brought  on 
by  its  interruption  during  several  previous  nights.  When 
the  conference  is  over,  the  Bishop  breaks  loose  as  from 
bondage,  and  casts  away  a  weight  of  the  most  oppressive 
character. 

Traveling,  too,  the  vast  distances  from  conference  to  con- 
ference, in  almost  all  modes  of  conveyances,  is  laborious  in 
the  extreme ;  and  the  many  cares  and  responsibilities  of  the 
concerns  of  the  Church  form  no  light  burden  of  themselves. 

The  question  is  sometimes  asked,  are  the  labors  and  cares 
of  our  present  Bishops  greater  or  less  than  those  of  our 
former  Bishops  ?  This  question  has  been  generally  an- 
swered by  affirming  that  they  are  less.  It  is  our  opinion, 
however,  that  the  labors  and  cares  of  our  present  Bishops 
are  greater,  or  at  least  equal  to  those  of  Asbury  and  M'Ken- 
dree,  whether  we  consider  the  sessions  of  conferences,  their 
travels,  or  the  care  of  the  Churches. 

In  the  early  days  of  Methodism,  the  conferences  were 
small;  and,  therefore,  the  amount  of  business  to  be  done  was 
far  less  than  what  it  is  in  the  recent  or  larger  conferences. 
A  great  variety  of  topics,  now  introduced  into  conferences, 
were  unknown  in  the  first  conferences.  The  business 
arising  out  of  education,  missions.  Sabbath  schools,  temper- 
ance and  other  matters,  was  no  part  of  their  work.  Thus 
presiding  in  conference,  in  the  early  times,  was  much  less 
onerous  than  what  it  is  now. 

The  travels,  too,  at  present,  are  not  inferior  to  the  former 
ones.    The  distances  are  much  greater ;  and  the  mode  of 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  365 

traveling  by  our  present  railroads,  stages  and  steamboats,  is 
more  burdensome,  during  the  actual  time  of  traveling,  than 
making  daily  journeys  on  horse-back  or  in  carriages,  the 
modes  adopted  by  Asbury  and  M'Kendree.  Besides,  there 
is  as  much  new  country  to  be  traveled  now  as  there  ever 
was,  or  even  more ;  for  their  sphere  of  operation  embraces 
the  whole  frontier  territory,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  along 
the  borders  of  civilization,  through  Texas,  Arkansas,  Mis- 
souri, the  Indian  territory,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan. 

The  cares  of  the  Church,  too,  are  no  less  than  they  for- 
merly were. 

Indeed,  we  doubt  whether  the  number  of  Bishops  has 
kept  up  with  the  increase  of  their  duties. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HIS  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER. 

The  winter  of  1842  and  1843,  which  set  in  unusually 
early,  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  great  severity,  interfered 
with  the  health  of  Bishop  Roberts  very  much.  His  asth- 
matic complaint  was  increased  by  the  severe  cold,  and  he 
felt  himself  more  easily  affected  than  at  the  approach  of 
any  former  winter.  The  impression  on  his  health,  too, 
was  deeper  than  usual,  and  his  recovery  from  his  attacks 
was  more  slow  and  ominous  than  before.  Moreover,  he 
perhaps  trusted  too  much  to  the  strength  of  his  constitution, 
and  had  recourse  too  sparingly,  or,  at  least,  not  in  sufficient 
time,  to  those  natural  medicinal  remedies  which  alleviate  or 
ward  off  disease.  His  usage,  and  that  of  his  friends 
around  him,  was  to  resort  but  seldom  to  medical  aid; 
and  perhaps,  too,  that  very  delicate  treatment  which  a  per- 
son in  great  debility  needs  for  the  purpose  of  restoration, 
was  rather  sparingly  used. 

31* 


366  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

The  Bishop  attended  a  meeting  in  the  village  of  Law- 
renceport,  the  place  of  his  residence,  during  Christmas  of 
the  year  1842,  held  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Bonner,  the  cir- 
cuit preacher.  He  united  cordially  in  the  exercises  of  the 
occasion.  He  took  the  opportunity  of  remarking,  that 
probably  before  another  Christmas  would  return,  several 
would  be  in  the  land  of  spirits,  and  that  very  probably  he 
might  be  one  of  the  number. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  his  nephew,  George  Roberts, 
died.  This  solemn  event  was  felt  severely  by  the  Bishop. 
He  had  taken  him  when  a  small  boy,  and  carried  him 
across  the  mountains  with  him.  He  took  care  of  him  as 
if  an  only  son.  George,  too,  drank  in  the  Bishop's  spirit, 
and  was  truly  a  good  man.  The  Bishop  had  purposed  to 
board  or  live  with  him,  and  leave  his  aged  partner  in  his 
care  when  he  would  be  absent  from  home.  The  following 
letter,  written  twelve  days  after  the  death  of  his  nephew, 
and  addressed  to  his  brother,  Lewis,  is  an  index  to  the 
Bishop's  feelings.  As  far  as  we  can  learn,  it  is  the  last 
letter  he  ever  wrote ;  and  foi"  the  sake  of  preserving  it,  as 
well  as  to  record  its  contents,  we  present  it  to  our  readers. 
It  was  written  at  Lawrenceport,  and  is  dated  January  8, 
1843: 

"  The  passing  away  of  eight  or  ten  days  has  so  far  miti- 
gated the  intensity  of  my  feelings,  as  to  permit  me  to  an- 
nounce to  you  the  deep  affliction  through  which  we  have 
passed  since  you  left  us.  The  mournful  story  is  told  in  a 
few  words.  It  will  all  be  explained  when  I  tell  you  that 
our  nephew,  George  Roberts,  is  no  more.  He  departed 
this  life  on  Monday,  the  27th  of  December,  after  an  illness 
of  seven  days,  which  he  bore  with  Christian  fortitude,  and 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God.  Sometimes  he  told  us  that 
his  way  was  clear,  and  his  mind  was  at  peace,  and  that 
his  soul  trusted  in  God.  A  few  minutes  before  his  depar- 
ture, we  prayed  with  him ;  and  at  the  close,  he  audibly 


CHAP.  Xin.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  367 

said,  '  Amen.'  He  then  embraced  his  family,  taking  his 
wife  and  children  severally  by  the  hand,  to  bid  them  fare- 
well. But  he  was  so  far  spent  that  he  could  not  speak.  He 
then  recovered  a  little,  and  called  for  his  aunt.  She  went 
to  his  bed-side,  and  he  shook  hands  with  her ;  but  nature 
was  sinking  so  fast  that  he  could  not  utter  a  word.  I  then 
approached  his  bed-side.  He  reached  out  both  hands  to 
embrace  mine.  I  said  to  him,  '  George,  if  the  Lord  is  pres- 
ent with  you  and  precious  to  you,  give  me  evidence  of  it 
by  pressing  my  hand.'  This  he  did,  as  far  as  his  remain- 
ing strength  would  permit.  It  was  enough.  We  asked 
no  more.  We  had  evidence  that  he  was  about  to  depart  in 
peace,  and  die  in  the  Lord.  His  spirit  took  its  exit  from 
us  in  the  morning,  just  after  the  golden  sun  had  risen  above 
the  horizon,  and  had  decked  our  earth  wath  light  and 
beauty. 

"  The  next  day  a  funeral  sermon  was  preached  on  the 
occasion  by  brother  Miller,  after  which  his  remains  were 
taken  to  Mount  Hibernia,  and  interred  near  the  remains 
of  his  father-in-law,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Miley,  where  he  had  had 
two  sons  buried  before  him. 

"  The  affliction  in  our  family  circle  during  the  last  year 
has  been  very  great.  The  room  in  which  George  breathed 
his  last,  is  the  one  in  which  his  son  Thomas  died,  and,  also, 
Susan  Oldham,  a  few  months  before  him.  But  we  will  not 
complain ;  for, 

'  The  chamber  where  the  good  man  meets  his  fete, 
Is  privileged  beyond  the  common  walks 
Of  virtuous  life,  quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven.' 

"You  will  learn  from  this  intelligence,  that  my  plan  of 
boarding  my  family  with  George  is  set  aside.  But  the  rest  ot 
us  live  together  yet,  and  probably  shall  continue  to  do  so  till 
spring ;  and  it  is  possible  that  then  I  shall  move  to  the  old 
place,  as  Betsey  now  seems  willing,  or  more  than  willing, 
to  go.    But  all  these  things  are  concealed  in  futurity;  and 


368  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

I  pray  to  be  resigned  to  the  will  of  the  Lord  both  in  life 
and  death." 

By  communications  from  the  Rev.  W.  Terrell  and  Mr. 
John  S.  M'Donald,  Esq.,  we  collect  the  following  account 
of  the  last  sacramental  meeting  he  attended,  and  the  last 
sermon  but  one  that  he  preached.  The  Bishop,  pursuant 
to  the  earnest  solicitations  of  his  friends  at  Bedford,  a  town 
ten  miles  from  his  residence,  attended  a  New-year's  meeting 
there.  He  was  not  in  very  good  health,  having  for  some 
time  previous  been  afflicted  with  the  asthrna,  which  the 
extreme  cold  weather,  about  the  first  of  January,  contributed 
to  aggravate.  The  meeting  commenced  with  a  watch-night, 
on  Saturday  evening,  December  31,  1842.  He  concluded 
the  services  by  a  few  impressive  remarks  upon  the  close  of 
the  year,  the  shortness  and  uncertainty  of  life,  and  the 
necessity  of  diligently  improving  the  present  moment; 
and  then  sang  and  prayed,  making  use  of  the  hymn  com- 
mencing, 

"The  Lord  of  earth  and  sky, 
The  God  of  ages  praise,"  &c. 

On  the  following  day,  he  preached  to  a  very  large  audi- 
ence from  these  words  :  "  He  that  loveth  pureness  of  heart, 
for  the  grace  of  his  lips,  the  King  will  be  his  friend,"  Prov, 
xxii,  11.  The  breathless  silence  that  pervaded  the  congre- 
gation during  his  discourse,  which  was  only  now  and  then 
interrupted  by  a  burst  of  feeling  that  few,  at  intervals,  could 
suppress,  told  of  the  deep  and  intense  interest  felt  by  the 
audience  in  the  words  that  fell  from  his  lips.  The  sermon 
was  one  of  thrilling  eloquence,  of  melting  tenderness,  and 
deep  and  heavenly  feeling.  It  was  believed  tq  have 
equaled  his  efforts  of  former  years.  He  set  forth,  in  a 
very  convincing  light,  the  doctrine  of  purity  of  heart,  its 
nature,  necessity  and  attainableness  in  this  life.  And  when 
upon  the  last  part  of  the  subject,  the  friendship  of  the  King, 
he  seemed  to  lose  sight  of  earth  and  lay  hold  of  the  glories 


CJIAP.  XIII.3  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  369 

of  the  heavenly  world.  He  finally  dismissed  this  topic  by 
acknowledging  his  inability  fully  to  describe  the  glorious 
reward  whicli  the  King  of  heaven  would  bestow  on  his 
faithful  subjects,  when  he  gathered  them  home.  He  referred 
liis  congregation  to  that  day  for  a  full  elucidation  of  his 
subject,  intimating  that  he  would  then  resume  the  theme, 
and  would  be  better  prepared  to  unfold  its  beauties,  and  do 
it  justice.  His  concluding  remarks  were  more  than  pathetic. 
He  told  liis  audience  how  long  he  had  been  standing  on  the 
walls  of  Zion.  "  But,"  he  remarked,  "  my  work  is  almost 
done :  these  trembling  hands — these  whitened  locks,  portend 
a  speedy  dissolution.  I  expect  soon  to  fall ;  but  it  con- 
cerns me  little  when  or  where  I  fall,  so  that  I  but  rest  in  the 
arms  of  my  Savior."  Our  informants  state,  that  language 
cannot  describe  the  effect  the  sermon  produced  on  the 
hearers.  But,  little  did  they  then  think  that  the  eloquence 
of  that  tongue  and  the  music  of  that  voice  would  so  soon  be 
hushed  in  death ! 

Immediately  after  the  sermon,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper  was  administered.  The  Bishop's  strength  was  so 
exhausted,  that  he  could  only  assist  in  the  consecration  of 
the  elements.  The  services  throughout,  it  is  said,  were 
peculiarly  solemn  and  impressive. 

The  meeting  was  continued  for  several  days;  and  though 
he  preached  no  more  during  his  stay,  yet  from  time  to  time 
he  engaged  in  conversing  with  the  mourners,  pointing  tliem 
to  the  blood  of  the  cross,  repeating  the  promises  of  the 
Gospel,  and  lifting  his  voice  in  solemn  prayer  on  their 
behalf.  In  such  exercises  as  these,  he  always  engaged  both 
with  delight  to  himself  and  profit  to  the  penitents.  This 
was,  as  already  stated,  the  last  sacramental  meeting  he  ever 
attended. 

On  the  following  Tuesday  morning,  he  left  Bedford  for 
home,  on  horse-back.  The  weather  was  exceedingly  cold, 
from  which  he  suffered  greatly.    The  foundation  was  then 


370  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

laid  for  the  disease  of  which  he  died ;  for  he  took  cold, 
which  increased  the  asthma,  and  he  was  never  well  after- 
ward. 

His  reason  for  hastening  home  was,  that  the  village  of 
Lawrenceport  had  not  been  well  supplied  with  a  school; 
and,  at  his  request,  a  pious  and  well  qualified  young  lady, 
Miss  Clarinda  Mack,  designed  commencing  one  that  day. 
She  had  sent  to  Bedford  with  the  Bishop,  for  the  books 
necessary  for  immediate  use,  which  he  purchased  ;  and 
though  pressed  to  stay,  be  deemed  it  his  duty  to  be  at  home 
in  time  to  prevent  disappointment  and  discouragement  to 
either  the  tutor  or  pupils. 

The  following  Sabbath,  January  8,  brother  Mapes  had 
an  appointment  to  preach  at  the  village.  The  snow  had 
fallen  very  deep ;  and  he  was  sick  and  could  not  attend. 
The  Bishop  went,  as  usual,  to  the  Church,  and  having 
waited  some  time,  gave  out  the  hymn  commencing, 
"  O  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  GoJ, 
A  heart  from  sin  set  free,"  &c. 

When  he  came  to  the  following  comprehensive  and 
expressive  words, 

"  Perfect,  and  right,  and  pure,  and  good, 
A  copy  Lord  of  thine," 

he  seemed  to  be  deeply  impressed.  After  prayer,  he  an- 
nounced his  text:  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God,"  Matt,  v,  8.  He  first  spoke  of  what  con- 
stitutes purity;  and  showed  that  evil  affections  must  be 
subdued  and  the  carnal  mind  destroyed ;  then  we  must 
possess  the  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  Christ  must  rule 
in  the  heart  by  faith.  He  closed  by  pressing  the  subject 
home,  urging  his  hearers  to  follow  after  purity. 

It  seems  that,  in  the  two  last  sermons  which  he  preached, 
he  took  the  subject  of  holiness  as  his  theme,  though  from 
different  texts.  This  was  fitting  indeed.  He  was  himself 
a  man  of  as  pure  a  heart  as  his  generation  produced.  The 


CHAP.  XmS]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER. 


371 


people  over  whom  he  was  Superintendent,  have  holiness  as 
the  great  object  in  view  in  reference  to  their  very  existence, 
as  well  as  all  their  labors,  institutions  and  doctrines.  It 
was  fit  for  a  man  on  the  verge  of  the  other  world  to  be 
conversing  and  thinking  on  holiness  to  the  Lord,  and  incul- 
cating it  on  others.  It  will,  also,  be  highly  proper  for  all 
who  read  these  pages  to  consider  well,  that  without  holiness 
of  heart  and  life  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.  It  is  very 
important,  too,  that  the  author  should  be  jealous  over  him- 
self with  a  godly  jealousy,  lest,  after  spending  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  writing  books  and  periodicals,  and  in 
preaching  the  Gospel,  he  should  be  found  deficient.  Who- 
ever, in  short,  reads  this  narrative,  let  him  remember  that 
the  unholy  shall  not  see  God.  May  those  who  still  live, 
be  wise  to  obtain  that  which  is  an  indispensable  prerequisite 
for  heaven  as  well  as  for  usefulness  on  earth — holiness. 

After  the  sermon  he  was  quite  weary,  and  on  returning 
home,  did  not  go  out  of  the  house  during  the  rest  of  the 
day.  Nevertheless,  for  three  weeks  he  continued  to  walk 
about.  He  was,  however,  very  much  affected,  and  com- 
plained of  difficulty  in  respiration. 

About  the  end  of  January,  he  took  a  fresh  cold,  by  attend- 
ing a  temperance  meeting.  This  was  the  first  meeting  of 
the  kind  held  at  the  village  where  he  resided.  So  deeply 
was  he  interested  in  the  good  cause,  and  so  anxious  was  he 
that  this  first  effort  in  his  vicinity  should  be  crowned  with 
success,  that,  although  scarcely  able  to  walk  to  the  place, 
he  went;  and  there,  with  his  presence  and  name,  mani- 
fested the  zeal  he  felt  in  the  movement,  and  the  importance 
he  attached  to  it.  In  consequence  of  his  great  debility,  and 
his  difficulty  of  breathing,  he  was  unable  to  say  any  thing 
in  the  form  of  an  address ;  but,  after  one  or  two  speeches 
had  been  made,  and  several  persons  had  signed  the  pledge, 
he  arose,  and  with  considerable  difliculty  and  tremor  of 
voice,  remarked,  "  For  forty  years  I  have  been  preaching  the 


372  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP,  XIII- 

doctrine  of  temperance,  and  if  I  had  forty  years  more  to 
live,  I  would  continue  to  preach  temperance  still.  I  am 
glad,"  he  added,  "  that  this  good  cause  has  found  its  way 
into  our  community,  and  is  about  to  throw  its  hallowed 
influence  around  our  citizens,  and  preserve  them,  I  hope, 
from  the  evils  and  dangers  of  intemperance — an  evil  that 
has  brought  upon  the  human  family  so  much  misery  and 
wretchedness.  I  have  no  fears  for  myself ;  yet  if  my  name 
can  be  of  any  benefit  to  you,  you  are  welcome  to  it."  He 
then  turned  to  the  secretary  and  said,  "Mr.  Secretary, 
please  receive  my  name."  It  was  with  great  difficidty, 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting,  that  he  reached  his 
residence,  which  was  distant  only  a  few  hundred  yards. 
Subsequently  to  this,  he  went  from  home  but  once  or  twice. 

He  seemed  much  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  near 
approach  of  death.  One  Sabbath  evening,  while  Miss 
Mack  was  reading  to  him,  at  his  request,  the  account  by 
Bishop  Morris  of  the  death  of  his  daughter,  he  seemed  to 
fasten  on  her  expression  with  great  emphasis,  where  she 
gives  charge  that  she  should  be  buried  in  a  plain  manner. 

About  this  time,  his  asthma  seemed  to  become  worse ; 
and  after  a  few  days'  use  of  simple  remedies,  which  he  had 
prescribed  himself,  but  from  which  he  received  no  relief,  he 
sent  for  a  physician,  and  after  taking  some  medicine,  ap- 
peared to  be  somewhat  better.  The  physician  himself  was 
then  taken  sick,  and,  consequently,  failed  to  attend  again 
upon  the  Bishop  at  the  appointed  time,  when  his  disease 
returned  with  greater  violence. 

His  brother,  Lewis,  reached  the  Bishop's  residence,  from 
Illinois,  about  the  9th  of  February.  The  Bishop  remarked, 
that  he  was  glad  to  see  him,  as  he  had  some  temporal  affairs 
to  arrange,  and  he  thought  this  M'as  a  favorable  time.  Noth- 
ing more,  however,  was  then  said  or  done  in  relation  to 
those  affairs. 

Shortly  afterward,  his  disease  increased  so  greatly  as  to 


CHAP.  Xni.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  373 

call  for  immediate  attention.  On  the  evening  of  the  22d 
of  February,  Dr.  Gavins,  of  Springville,  was  sent  for.  Up 
to  this  time,  the  Bishop  had  conversed  but  little,  and  seemed 
to  think  that  his  case  was  not  dangerous.  Dr.  Gavins 
arrived  about  11  or  12  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  22d  of 
February,  and  found  the  Bishop  quite  ill.  He  still  had 
great  difficulty  in  breathing,  and  was  affected  with  spitting 
of  blood.  He  remarked  to  the  Doctor,  that  he  wished  him 
to  be  candid  with  him,  and  give  his  opinion  freely  with 
reference  to  his  condition,  as  he  had  some  temporal  affairs 
that  he  was  desirous  to  arrange ;  and  if  there  was  any  ap- 
pearance of  approaching  dissolution,  he  wanted  to  arrange 
them  while  he  was  able  to  do  so.  The  Doctor  expressed 
it  as  his  opinion,  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  aspect  of  the 
disease  that  foreboded  any  immediate  danger.  The  Bishop 
then  made  the  reply,  "Doctor,  I  submit  myself,  under 
God,  to  your  care."  Medicine  was  administered,  and  it 
seemed  to  have  the  desired  effect. 

We  subjoin  the  following  account  of  his  disease,  from 
Dr.  Gavins,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  E.  G.  Wood:  "I  was 
called  to  see  Bishop  Roberts  on  the  22d  of  February,  but 
did  not  reach  him  until  near  11  o'clock  at  night.  I  found 
him  in  great  distress,  from  congestion  of  the  lungs,  with 
a  distressing  cough  and  spitting  of  blood.  He  had  been 
confined  ten  or  twelve  days.  From  a  full  development  of 
the  facts  in  connection  with  the  history  of  his  case,  I  was 
convinced  in  my  mind  that  he  labored  under  some  organic 
derangement  of  the  heart.  This,  in  connection  with  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  afflicted  with  paralysis  for  the  [ast 
eight  or  ten  years,  induced  me  to  consider  him  dangerous. 
I,  however,  put  him  under  treatment  for  the  inflammatory 
symptoms.  He  appeared  to  improve,  and  I,  with  the  rest 
of  his  friends  present,  was  induced  to  hope  that  he  would 
shortly  be  restored  to  his  usual  health.  But  how  sadly 
have  we  been  disappointed !  While  asleep,  and  in  a  per- 
32 


374  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

spiration,  he  threw  off  the  bed-clothes.  The  result  was, 
that  he  took  cold,  and  awoke  with  a  chill,  from  which  he 
relapsed,  and  sunk  immediately  into  typhus  fever.  He 
lingered,  without  much  change  in  his  case,  until  he  died, 
which  was  on  the  26th  of  March,  at  half-past  1  o'clock, 
A.  M." 

On  the  24th,  25th  and  26th  of  February,  he  seemed  to 
be  improving.  The  difficulty  of  breathing  had  been,  in  a 
great  degree,  removed.  He  conversed  more  freely  with  his 
friends,  many  of  whom  were  constandy  calling  to  see 
him.  He  continued  in  this  condition,  occasionally,  how- 
ever, being  a  little  worse,  and  then  better,  up  to  the  12th  or 
13th  of  March,  when  his  disease  assumed  the  character  of 
typhus  fever.  Two  other  physicians  were  called  in,  to  con- 
sult with  Dr.  Gavins. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  he  was  visited  by  the  Rev.  W. 
Terrell,  and  his  intimate  and  devoted  friend,  Mr.  J.  S. 
M'Donald,  Esq.,  of  Bedford,  Indiana.  They  found  hira 
very  low,  and  in  considerable  pain,  and  also  discharging  from 
his  lungs  a  tough,  bloody  phlegm.  His  breathing,  however, 
was  much  better  than  it  had  been.  He  had  conversed  but 
little  during  his  sickness,  owing,  it  is  believed,  to  the  pain 
it  gave  him  ;  and  he  manifested  but  little  inclination  to  hold 
conversations  then.  He  evinced  much  patience  in  his  suf- 
ferings. In  the  time  of  family  worship  he  manifested  deep 
engagedness,  especially  when  his  own  case  was  alluded  to, 
frequently  responding,  Anen,  with  much  fervor. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  February,  Mr.  Terrell 
went  to  his  bed-side,  and  inquired  if  he  had  any  presenti- 
ment how  his  disease  would  terminate.  He  replied,  "  No: 
when  I  was  first  taken  sick,  I  did  not  apprehend  any  thing 
serious."  Mr.  Terrell  then  asked  him  if  he  had  any 
anxiety  about  the  matter;  to  which  he  replied,  "I  have 
none.  It  is  true,  there  are  some  temporal  matters  1  would 
like  to  see  adjusted;  but  I  have  no  fears.    I  think  I  have 


CHAP.  Xin.3  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  375 

an  assurance,  should  I  die,  that  I  shall  be  at  rest."  He 
then,  with  much  feeling,  added,  "  But  I  have  no  plea,  of 
righteousness  of  my  own,  after  all  that  I  have  done.  I  feel 
that  I  am  an  unprofitable  servant.  But  should  I  die,  I  die 
firmly  in  the  belief  of  those  doctrines  I  have  been  preaching 
for  more  than  forty  years."  This  was  all  the  conversation 
that  took  place  at  that  time,  as  brother  Terrell  had  to  leave 
in  order  to  attend  his  appointments. 

Brother  Ames  gives  the  following  account  of  his  last  visit 
to  the  Bishop  :  "  The  last  week  in  February,  1843, 1  reach- 
ed Cincinnati,  from  Washington  City.  Bishops  Roberts, 
Soule  and  Morris  were  to  meet  in  the  first  mentioned  city, 
on  the  8th  of  March.  As  matters  connected  with  the  Indian 
missions  would  come  before  them,  and  as  these  missions 
were,  for  the  year,  under  the  supervision  of  Bishop  Roberts, 
it  was  indispensable  that  he  should  be  present,  if  possible. 
From  the  great  inclemency  of  the  weather,  his  age  and  in- 
firmities, it  was  feared  he  might  not  arrive,  without  some 
assistance.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  proceed  directly  to 
his  residence,  and  bring  him,  if  able  to  travel,  as  far  as  New 
Albany  in  a  carriage,  from  whence  he  could  proceed  by 
water  to  the  city.  On  the  evening  of  March  2d,  I  reached 
his  house.  I  knew  nothing  of  his  severe  sickness  till  I  en- 
tered the  room  where  he  lay.  I  was  shocked  when  I  saw  the 
ravages  which  disease  had  made  in  his  appearance.  His 
eye  was  on  me;  and  he  probably  witnessed  my  emotion. 
As  I  approached  his  bed-side,  with  difficulty  he  reached 
forth  his  hand,  and  said,  in  a  feeble  voice,  '  Brother,  a  few 
days  ago,  I  thought  I  had  seen  all  my  friends  for  the  last 
time.  I  expected  to  leave  you.'  I  said, '  I  presume.  Bish- 
op, you  were  not  alarmed  at  the  prospect.'  He  replied 
promptly,  '  No,  brother,  I  had  no  fears,  and  I  had  no  trans- 
ports :  all  was  peaceful  and  calm.''  At  this  time,  he  thought 
himself  considerably  better;  but  he  was  very  feeble,  and 
not  able  to  converse,  except  with  difficulty.    As  I  was 


376  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

obliged  to  leave  in  the  morning,  I  said  to  him,  in  the  course 
of  the  evening,  that  there  were  some  matters  which  I  wished 
to  communicate  to  him,  but  I  feared  it  would  weary  him. 
He  replied,  '  No,  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  talk,  but  I  cannot 
say  much  myself.'  After  listening  to  the  facts  which  I  had 
to  communicate,  respecting  some  of  the  subjects  which 
would  come  before  his  colleagues  at  tlieir  approaching  meet- 
ing, he  gave  his  opinion  in  a  few  words,  and  desired  me 
to  request  Bishop  Soule  to  act  for  him  in  things  pertaining 
to  the  missions.  This,  I  presume,  was  the  last  official  act 
of  his  life. 

"  At  this  time  his  disease  was  thought  by  his  physician 
to  have  taken  a  favorable  turn,  and  he  was  expected  to 
recover.  In  the  morning,  when  I  was  taking  my  leave  of 
him,  I  inquired  if  he  desired  to  send  any  message  to  his 
colleagues,  meaning  Bishops  Soule  and  Morris.  He  repli- 
ed, '  You  can  tell  them  I  am  as  a  vessel  almost  wrecked — 
that  my  work  is  about  done.'  He  added,  after  a  pause, 
'  In  looking  back  upon  my  past  life,  I  can  see  some  things, 
in  which  I  should  probably  act  differently,  if  they  were  to 
be  done  -over  again.  I  have  been  but  an  unprofitable  ser- 
vant. But,'  and  for  a  moment  his  countenance  was  lit  up 
with  a  glow  of  triumph,  and  his  voice  regained  its  usual 
fullness  and  melody,  '  I  rejoice  to  know  that  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church  is  carrying  on  his  work;  and  as  long  as 
Jesus  reigns,  all  will  be  well.'  I  turned  away,  and  never 
saw  him  again.  In  about  twenty  days  after  this  he  breathed 
his  last." 

Some  time  between  the  7th  and  llth  of  March,  brother 
Terrell  visited  him  tlie  second  time.  He  was  then  con- 
siderably worse,  and  was  manifestly  sinking  fast.  He 
found,  on  inquiry  from  the  family,  that  he  had  conversed 
very  little  since  his  former  visit ;  except  with  brother  E.  R. 
Ames,  who  had  spent  one  night  with  him.  Mr.  Terrell 
took  occasion,  when  he  appeared  to  be  at  ease,  to  ask  him, 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  377 

if  he  still  felt  the  same  confidence  he  had  expressed  to  him 
on  a  former  occasion?  He  replied,  he  did,  and  then  ob- 
served with  a  great  degree  of  seriousness,  "  It  is  a  very 
solemn  thing  to  die."  He  spoke  of  the  many  ties  that 
bind  man  to  life,  and  of  the  painfulness  of  severing  them. 
He  said  he  had  had  but  litde  inclination  to  converse,  and 
assigned  as  a  reason,  that  his  mind  had  been  slightly  aflected 
at  times,  so  that  he  was  unable  to  fix  it  on  those  things 
which  most  interested  his  heart;  but  that  now  he  was  con- 
siderably relieved  from  this  affliction.  When  Mr.  Terrell 
bid  him  farewell,  the  Bishop  took  him  by  the  hand,  and, 
after  asking  an  interest  in  his  prayers,  observed  with  a  great 
deal  of  feeling,  "  Brother,  I  feel  that  if  I  die,  I  shall  die  in 
the  Lord,  and  if  I  live,  I  shall  live  for  the  Lord."  These 
were  the  last  words  which  Mr.  Terrell  heard  him  speak. 
What  expressions  dropped  from  his  lips  afterward,  we 
have  not  been  informed.  Mr.  Terrell  remarks,  relative  to 
his  two  interviews  with  him,  "  In  neither  of  the  conversa- 
tions that  I  had  with  the  Bishop,  did  he  evince  any  thing 
like  ecstacy.  Indeed,  I  thought  he  appeared  to  be  tried ; 
but  in  his  sore  conflict,  he  evidently  liad,  in  lively  exercise, 
that  faith  which  obtains  the  victory.  And  the  tone  and 
manner  in  which  he  expressed  the  last  sentiment  I  heard 
him  utter,  showed  that  the  victory  was  won.  '  In  patience 
he  possessed  his  soul,'  and  '  held  fast  the  beginning  of  his 
confidence  firm  unto  the  end.' " 

On  the  fourteenth  of  March,  he  expressed  a  desire  to  his 
brother,  Lewis,  to  arrange  his  temporal  affairs,  and  also  to 
write  his  will.  This  was  accordingly  done;  and  after  the 
will  had  been  read  to  him,  three  or  four  times,  he  raised 
himself  up  in  his  bed,  and  in  the  presence  of  certain  persons, 
who  were  there  as  witnesses,  he  signed  it.  From  this  time 
to  his  death,  he  said  but  little.  His  friend,  Mr.  M'Donald, 
was  with  him  about  ten  days  immediately  preceding  his 
departure ;  and  during  the  whole  time  he  conversed  scarcely 
32* 


378  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

any.  On  several  occasions,  he  manifested  a  great  reluctance 
to  take  medicine,  by  remarking,  "It  is  of  no  use." 

About  a  week  before  his  death,  his  brother  and  Mr. 
M'Donald  approached  his  bed-side,  and  asked  him  where 
he  desired  to  be  buried,  if  God  should  see  proper  to  call 
him  away.  He  replied,  "  I  want  to  be  decently  buried : 
nothing  more :  no  pomp — no  show.  This  poor  tenement," 
laying  his  hands  upon  his  breast,  "  is  worth  nothing  more 
than  a  decent  covering." 

His  inability  to  attend  the  Texas  conference  afflicted  him 
considerably.  He  observed  to  Miss  Mack,  when  first 
taken  sick,  that  perhaps  his  illness  was  designed  as  a  chas- 
tisement for  not  going  there.  He  was  exceedingly  anxious 
to  learn  the  proceedings  of  this  conference ;  and  he  exam- 
ined the  Methodist  journals  immediately  on  their  arrival,  for 
information,  until  the  minutes  appeared. 

Two  weeks  previous  to  his  death,  he  was  sometimes 
affected  with  slight  delirium.  His  mind  seemed,  on  these 
occasions,  to  be  taken  up  with  the  missions.  The  one 
about  to  be  established  at  Fort  Coffee,  occupied  his  attention 
much.  He  imagined  that  three  Indians  were  watching  his 
sick  bed.  And  when  perfectly  rational,  he  expressed  deep 
anxiety  about  procuring  a  proper  person  to  take  care  of 
this  mission,  as  well  as  obtaining  a  supply  of  school 
teachers. 

On  the  Friday  previous  to  his  death,  while  a  number  of 
persons  were  in  his  room,  he  inquired  of  the  doctor, 
whether  there  would  be  any  impropriety,  under  the  circum- 
stances, in  having  prayer.  The  doctor  replied,  there  would 
not,  if  he  desired  it.  A  chapter  was  then  read,  and  a  prayer 
offered  up  by  a  brother  who  was  present.  After  this,  there 
was  a  momentary  pause,  when  the  Bishop  said,  "  I  should 
like  you  to  go  on  with  your  prayer  meeting."  He,  himself, 
then  called  upon  two  other  persons  to  pray.  Thus  the  last 
social  meeting  at  which  he  was  present,  was  a  prayer 


CHAP,  xni.3  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  379 

meeting  in  his  own  house.  How  appropriate  are  the  beau- 
tiful lines  of  the  poet : 

"  Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath— 

The  Christian's  native  air  : 
His  watchword  at  the  gates  of  death : 

He  enters  heaven  by  prayer." 

The  last  vocal  prayer  that  he  ever  offered  was  while  in 
his  chair,  after  he  had  become  unable  to  kneel.  It  was  at  the 
morning  devotions.  He  asked  the  physician  to  read  a 
chapter,  and  he  repeated  the  Lord's  prayer  himself  with 
great  solemnity,  and  then  added  a  few  short  sentences  ex- 
pressive of  thankfulness  to  the  Most  High,  and  confidence 
in  his  truth  and  faithfulness. 

For  some  days  previous  to  his  death,  he  did  not  seem  to 
suffer  any  pain.  On  Friday,  the  24th  of  March,  however, 
he  began  to  show  symptoms  of  approaching  dissolution  ;  and 
at  one  time  during  the  day,  it  was  supposed  he  was  dying. 
The  paroxysm,  however,  passed  off,  and  through  the  night 
and  the  following  day,  he  lay  comparatively  easy,  yet  was 
sinking  rapidly.  On  Saturday  night,  at  ten  o'clock,  he  was 
attacked  with  another  paroxysm,  and  struggled,  apparently 
in  great  pain,  until  about  half  past  one  o'clock,  on  Sabbath 
morning.  He  retained  the  exercise  of  his  senses  to  the 
end,  and  just  before  he  expired,  looked  around  on  all  that 
were  in  the  room.  He  appeared  to  be  bidding  them  his  last 
adieu.  He  then  raised  both  his  hands,  as  if  in  the  act  of 
offering  himself  to  God  for  the  last  time ;  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, he  ceased  to  breathe.  This  was  at  a  half  past  one 
o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  the  26th  of  March,  1843. 
From  the  appearance  of  his  countenance  scarcely  any  one 
would  have  thought  that  death  had  been  there  :  it  was  placid 
and  serene.  Still  there  had  been  a  severe  struggle  before 
and  toward  his  exit. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Ruter's  Sermon  for 
the  following  letter  writlea  by  the  Rev.  J.  Pressor,  a  pious 


380  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

and  intelligent  physician,  who  was  with  him  in  his  last 
moments : 

"  The  Bishop's  sickness  was  long  and  painful,  and,  in 
the  treatment,  it  became  necessary  to  blister  him  exten- 
sively. All  this  he  bore  without  a  murmur ;  not  one  word 
of  complaint  escaped  him ;  and  in  his  sickness  throughout, 
he  exhibited  the  most  happy  example  of  Christian  patience, 
resignation  and  courage.  I  was  with  him  in  the  closing 
scene,  (and  was  the  only  one  of  his  physicians  present  on 
that  occasion.)  I  recollect  to  have  frequently  heard  him 
remark,  '  that,  in  health,  men  might  deceive  the  most  criti- 
cal observer,  and  even  themselves,  but  that  the  death  scene 
generally  stamped  the  character  with  its  true  value.'  He 
has  been  tried  by  this  standard,  and  has,  I  have  no  doubt, 
passed  the  dreadful  ordeal  triumphantly.  From  the  nature 
of  his  disease,  he  was  not  able  to  converse  much  during  his 
last  illness;  but  from  what  he  did  say,  we  have  no  doubt 
that  he  felt  assured  that  his  work  was  done,  and  that  a 
crown  of  life  awaited  him.  He  did  not  speak  (so  as  to  be 
understood)  for  some  two  days  before  his  dissolution ;  but 
I  have  no  doubt  that  he  retained  to  the  last  moment,  and 
entered  upon  his  inheritance  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan, 
in  full  possession  of  his  mental  faculties. 

"  Bishop  Roberts,  from  the  happy  balance  of  his  mind, 
was  not  subject  to  sudden  or  violent  emotion.  His  religious 
feelings,  like  the  waters  of  the  unruffled  ocean,  were  dear, 
calm  and  deep.  Those  feelings  did  not  forsake  him  in  the 
last  trying  hour.  It  is  true  he  did  not  speak  ;  but  by  the 
serenity  of  his  countenance,  and  gestures  the  most 
pressive,  he  manifested  the  triumph  of  the  soul.  You  will, 
doubtless,  well  recollect  that,  in  his  public  exercises,  when 
in  his  happiest  mood,  his  countenance  wore  a  most  heavenly 
expression,  while,  with  both  hands  gracefully  extended,  in 
a  manner  peculiar  to  himself,  he  gave  evidence  of  the 
unutterable  joy  which  swelled  his  bosom ;  and  it  was  with 


tHAP.  nn.]         DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  381 

these  signs,  in  his  last  struggle,  he  continued  to  indicate  to 
us  the  calm  triumph  of  the  mind,  until  we  lost  sight  of  him 
in  the  dark  valley  of  death.    It  has  been  my  lot  to  witness 
many  death-bed  scenes  ;  but  before,  none  like  this.  We 
did  not  feel  that  we  were  standing  by  the  bed  of  death,  but 
that  we  were  honored  witnesses  of  the  exaltation  of  our  be- 
loved Bishop  to  the  joys  of  his  Lord;  and,  even  while  per- 
forming the  last  melancholy  office  of  closing  his  sightless 
eyes,  we  felt  the  force  of  those  beautiful  lines  of  the  poet, 
'  The  chamber  where  the  good  man  meets  his  fate, 
Is  privileged  beyond  the  common  walks 
Of  virtuous  life,  quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven,' 

Nor  were  we  alone  impressed  with  those  sentiments ;  for, 
before  we  had  given  utterance  to  our  feelings,  his  brother, 
Lewis  Roberts,  who  was  present,  in  a  voice  of  '  mournful 
pleasure,'  quoted  those  beautiful  lines." 

Mrs.  Roberts  remarked,  though  she  had  often  feared, 
wlien  he  was  leaving  home  on  his  long  tours,  that  he  would 
not  return,  yet  she  never  opposed  his  going.  She  further 
stated,  that  he  had  told  her  he  believed  he  should  die  at 
home — an  event  so  desirable  to  both.  She  inquired,  why  he 
thought  so  ?  To  which  he  replied,  he  had  received  such  an 
impression  when  engaged  in  prayer. 

On  Monday,  the  27lh  of  March,  his  funeral  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  E.  G.  Wood,  of  the  Indiana  conference, 
at  the  Bishop's  residence,  to  a  large  congregation,  from 
Rev,  xiv,  13:  "  And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying 
unto  me,  write,  blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth :  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them,"  It 
was  the  intention  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  grave  ;  but, 
in  consequence  of  the  extreme  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
it  was  thought  advisable  to  defer  going  till  the  next  day. 
Accordingly,  on  Tuesday,  the  28th,  his  body  was  deposited 
in  a  lonely  corn-field  on  his  own  farm.    This  spot  is  in  a 


382  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIU. 

remote  corner  of  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  in  a  secluded 
neighborhood — to  or  near  which  no  leading  road  conducts 
the  traveler.  Either  narrow  horse-paths,  or  scarcely  visible 
wagon-tracks,  lead  to  the  farm.  With  the  best  directions, 
it  would  be  difficult  for  a  stranger  to  find  the  place 
where  he  was  buried.  In  this  sequestered  spot,  for  several 
months,  laid  the  remains  of  the  senior  Bishop  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  who  had  been  forty-one  years  a 
traveling  preacher  and  twenty-seven  a  Bishop,  and  who,  in 
performing  the  arduous  duties  of  his  charge,  had  traveled 
in  twenty  states  of  the  Union  during  one  year. 

It  has  been  supposed  by  many,  that  Bishop  Roberts  was 
buried  at  the  place  which  he  himself  had  previously 
selected.  We  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  this  was  not 
the  case.  In  fact,  he  expressed  no  special  preference  for 
any  one  place.    This  we  attribute  to  his  extreme  modesty. 

Many  of  his  friends  in  the  Church  were  dissatisfied  with 
the  location  of  his  final  resting  place.  In  Louisville,  New 
Albany,  Jefll'ersonville,  Madison,  Cincinnati,  and  other 
towns  and  cities,  they  would  gladly  have  gone  to  the  ex- 
pense of  reinterring  his  remains  among  them,  and  would, 
at  the  same  time,  liave  conformed,  in  regard  to  plainness, 
with  his  known  wishes  when  alive.  We  are  informed,  t(Jb, 
that  a  proposal  was  made  by  the  brethren  of  Baltimore  to 
convey  his  remains  to  that  city,  and  deposit  them  in  the 
vault  under  the  pulpit  of  the  Eutaw  church,  wliere  the 
ashes  of  Asbury  and  Emory  lie.  But  it  seemed  proper,  as 
by  common  consent,  that  the  Indiana  conference  should 
have  the  privilege  of  deciding  on  the  question  of  his  re- 
interment. 

The  death  of  Bishop  Roberts,  was  felt  by  the  whole 
Methodist  community  as  a  great  loss.  At  most  of  the 
conferences  held  since  his  death,  a  funeral  sermon  has  been 
preached  by  one  of  the  Bishops  attending,  at  the  request 
of  its  members.    Meetings  of  preachers  and  members,  too, 


CHAP.  XIII.3  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  383 

have  been  held  in  many  places,  and  resolutions,  expres- 
sive of  their  high  regard  for  his  public  and  private  Chris- 
tian virtues,  adopted,  and  funeral  discourses  delivered. 

The  ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Cincinnati  and  its  vicinity,  held  a  meeting  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1843,  in  reference  to  the  death  of  Bishop  Roberts, 
at  which  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  sub- 
mitted by  Rev.  J.  F.  Wright,  were  adopted : 

"  Whereas,  it  has  pleased  Almighty  God,  in  his  myste- 
rious wisdom,  to  remove  from  the  Church  militant  to  the 
Church  triumphant,  his  faithful  servant,  the  venerable 
Bishop  Roberts ;  therefore, 

''Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Robert  R. 
Roberts,  senior  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
we  have  lost  a  most  amiable  friend,  and  an  honored  fellow- 
laborer  in  Christ's  vineyard,  whose  memory  is  endeared  to 
us  by  the  tenderest  recollections;  and,  that  by  the  same 
afflicting  providence,  the  Church  is  deprived  of  one  of  her 
most  esteemed  and  useful  ministers. 

"  Besolved,  That  while  we  and  the  whole  Church  should 
be  meekly  resigned  to  this  dispensation,  and  should  thank 
a  gracious  God  that  our  beloved  Bishop,  in  his  removal 
from  toil  and  pain,  has  left  us  full  of  assurance  that  he  has 
entered  into  rest,  we  should,  also,  improve  this  great  public 
affliction  to  our  advancement  in  holiness,  that  we  may  be 
prepared  for  a  reunion  with  our  departed  and  sainted  friend 
in  heaven. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  affectionately  invite  the  friends  and 
acquaintances  of  Bishop  Roberts,  near  or  remote,  to  be 
present  with  us  on  Monday,  May  1st,  at  10  o'clock,  A.  M., 
in  Wesley  Chapel,  of  this  city,  and  join  us  in  hearing  the 
funeral  sermon,  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  and  in  the 
funeral  sr  Jemnities  of  the  occasion. 

''Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  our  bereaved  sister  Rob- 
erts, the  assurance  of  our  sympathy  and  prayers  in  this  her 


384  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIH. 

deep  affliction,  and  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  for- 
warded to  her  by  the  Secretary." 

Agreeably  to  the  previous  arrangements,  a  sermon  was 
delivered  on  the  1st  of  May,  1843,  by  the  author  of  this 
work,  in  Wesley  Chapel,  at  which  a  number  of  ministers 
and  private  members  attended,  from  the  neighboring  towns 
and  country.  The  text  was,  "  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and 
behold  the  upright;  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace," 
Psalms  xxxvii,  37.    We  took  occasion  to  show, 

I.  The  character  of  the  "perfect  man  :" 

II.  His  end — "peace;"  and, 

III.  Made  an  application  of  the  text  to  the  life,  death, 
and  character  of  Bishop  Roberts. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  preachers  of  Madison  district,  Indiana 
conference,  too,  several  very  appropriate  resolutions  were 
passed ;  and  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Ruter  was  requested  to  preach 
a  funeral  sermon  on  the  death  of  the  Bishop  at  each  of  his 
quarterly  meetings.  From  the  resolutions,  we  select  the 
two  following : 

"  That,  as  a  man,  a  Christian,  a  minister,  and  a  Bishop 
(or  Overseer)  of  the  flock  of  Christ,  his  memory  is  en- 
deared especially  to  us,  as  members  of  the  Indiana  annual 
conference,  where  for  many  years  he  lived,  and  where  he 
died ;  and  that  we  never  can  cease  to  remember  him  as  our 
beloved  father,  friend,  and  highly  honored  fellow-laborer  in 
Christ. 

"  That  it  becomes  us  most  devoutly  to  supplicate  Al- 
mighty God  to  cause  the  mantle  of  our  Elijah  to  fall  upon 
some  faithful  Elisha,  whose  wisdom,  experience,  piety  and 
physical  energies,  shall  fit  him  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
so  worthy  a  predecessor." 

The  brethren  in  St.  Louis,  also,  held  a  meeting,  and, 
among  other  resolutions,  passed  the  following: 

^'Resolved,  That  while  the  entire  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  is  called  to  mourn  the  departure  of  one  of  her  most 


CHAP.  Xin.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  385 

distinguished  ministers  and  brightest  ornaments,  we  have 
special  cause  to  iiold  him  in  esteem  and  veneration  as  a 
father  of  our  Church  in  Missouri ;  and  '  though  dead  he  yet 
speaketh,'  having  left  us  an  example  that  we  should  walk  in 
his  steps ;  and,  although  we  shall  see  him  no  more  among 
us,  his  solicitude  and  labors  for  our  prosperity  will  ever  live 
in  our  undying  afiections." 

At  Dayton,  Ohio,  the  Rev.  James  B.  Finley  likewise 
preached  a  funeral  sermon  in  reference  to  the  death  of 
Bishop  Roberts.  The  Rev.  Henry  B.  Bascom,  too,  preached 
one  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  to  a  large  congregation.  And 
in  New  Albany,  Indiana,  the  memory  of  the  Bishop  was 
also  honored  by  appropriate  religious  exercises. 

The  Indiana  conference,  at  their  last  session,  held  in 
Crawfordsville,  October  18th,  1843,  passed  the  following 
resolutions  relative  to  the  removal  of  his  remains  to  Green- 
castle,  the  seat  of  the  Indiana  University. 

"1.  Resolved,  That  we  regard  with  deep  gratitude  that 
Providence  which  granted  us  the  privilege  of  claiming,  for 
the  period  of  twenty-four  years.  Bishop  Roberts  as  a  fellow- 
citizen  and  a  patriarchal  minister  resident  among  us. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  in  view  of  the  intellectual  and  moral 
worth  of  Bishop  Roberts,  and  his  kind  regards  for  us  and 
the  whole  Church,  his  death  be  considered  as  a  paternal 
bereavement  to  the  Church  in  general,  and  to  the  Indiana 
conference  in  particular,  which  calls  for  proper  humiliation 
and  resignation. 

"  3.  Resolved,  That  we  shall  be  greatly  wanting  to  our- 
selves and  to  the  cause  of  God,  if  we  do  not  imbibe  his 
spirit  and  imitate  his  wholesome  and  godly  example. 

<'  4.  Resolved,  Tliat  the  remains  of  the  venerable  Bishop 
(the  widow  consenting,)  be  removed  from  their  present 
obscure  lodgment,  and  be  transferred  to  Greencastle. 

"  5.  Resolved,  That  a  suitable  monument  or  tombstone 
be  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Bishop. 

33 


386  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

"  6.  Resolved,  That  the  expenses  incurred  in  carrying 
into  effect  the  last  two  resolutions,  be  met  by  the  Indi- 
ana conference ;  and  should  the  conference  be  divided,  by 
the  two  conferences  jointly,  according  to  their  numerical 
strength. 

"  7.  Resolved,  That  Bishop  Soule  be  requested  to  furnish 
a  suitable  epitaph  or  inscription  for  the  Bishop's  tomb. 

"  8.  Resolved,  That  M.  Simpson,  the  presiding  elder  of 
the  Greencastle  district,  and  the  presiding  elder  of  the  dis- 
trict in  which  Bishop  Roberts  was  buried,  be  a  committee 
to  carry  into  effect  the  foregoing  resolutions. 

"  9.  Resolved,  That  the  foregoing  resolutions  be  spread 
on  the  journals  of  this  conference,  and  a  copy  of  them  be 
forwarded  to  the  aged  widow  of  the  Bishop." 

In  pursuance  of  the  foregoing  resolutions,  on  Thursday, 
the  18th  of  January,  1844,  the  disinterred  body  of  the  late 
Bishop  Roberts,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Milligan  and  brother 
M'Red,  a  local  preacher,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  Miller,  C. 
Nutt,  E.  Genung,  W.  Dorsey  and  L.  Forbes,  members  of 
the  Indiana  annual  conference,  was  met  near  Greencastle  by 
a  procession,  composed  of  the  citizens,  and  faculty  and 
students  of  the  University.  Proceeding  to  the  University, 
the  body  was  deposited  in  the  chapel,  and  on  a  beautiful 
knob,  in  the  college  grounds,  a  grave  was  prepared.  The 
trustees  of  the  University  met,  and  decided  that  the  rein- 
terment should  take  place  the  next  morning,  and  appointed 
E.  R.  Ames,  J.  Covvgill  and  W.  K.  Cooper,  a  committee 
from  their  own  body,  to  act  with  the  committee  that  had 
been  appointed  by  the  conference,  in  making  suitable 
arrangements.  At  the  specified  time,  the  spacious  chapel 
of  the  University  was  filled  by  those  who  came  from  far 
and  near  to  engage  in  the  solemn  ceremonies  of  the  occa- 
sion. The  opening  exercises  were  performed  by  the  Rev. 
John  Miller.  After  prayer,  was  sung  the  beautiful  hymn, 
"  Shed  not  a  tear." 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  387 

Professor  Larrabee  then  delivered  the  following  excellent 
address : 

"  Friends  and  Brethren, — Bishop  Roberts,  whose 
mortal  remains,  now  disinterred,  lie  before  you,  was  buried 
in  a  very  retired  and  obscure  place,  far  away  from  public 
resort,  in  a  spot  distinguished  in  no  way,  by  nature  or  art. 
There  in  the  open  corn-field,  without  a  path  to  lead  to  it, 
or  a  stone  to  mark  it,  was  the  grave  of  the  good  man,  whom 
the  Church  loved  and  honored.  The  spontaneous  senti- 
ment of  the  Church,  however,  seemed  to  demand  his  removal 
to  some  more  suitable  spot,  where  he  might  receive  that 
honor  which  the  living  love  to  pay  to  the  memory  of  the 
good  and  the  great. 

"We  have  understood,  that  the  people  of  Baltimore  were 
desirous  of  removing  his  remains  to  their  city,  and  deposit- 
ing them  beside  those  of  the  venerated  Asbury.  The 
Kentucky  conference  desired  to  have  him  removed  to 
Louisville,  and  others  wished  that  New  Albany,  or  some 
other  town  on  the  Ohio  River,  should  be  his  final  resting 
place.  At  the  last  session  of  the  Indiana  conference,  it  was 
proposed  to  remove  his  remains  to  this  place,  and  to  select 
some  spot  near  tliis  edifice,  where  his  grave  might  be  made, 
and  a  monument  erected  over  it.  This  proposition  was 
received  with  a  hearty  and  unanimous  approval  by  the  con- 
ference, and  a  committee  of  Revs.  M.  Simpson,  J.  Miller 
and  G.  M.  Beswick,  were  appointed  to  carry  the  resolution 
into  effect. 

"  To  us  it  appears,  that  no  place  so  suitable  as  this  could 
have  been  selected.  Though  Bishop  Roberts  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  prosperity  of  the  Church,  in  every  section 
of  her  widely  extended  work,  yet  among  all  her  literary  and 
benevolent  institutions,  this  University  was  his  favorite. 
His  power  of  observation  enabled  him  to  see  and  appreciate 
the  value  and  importance  of  this  institution,  and  the  rank  in 
honor  and  usefulness  which  it  must  attain.    He,  therefore, 


388 


DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIII. 


made  the  Indiana  Asbury  University  his  only  residuary 
legatee,  bestowing  upon  it  all  his  property  which  could  be 
spared  after  supporting  his  aged  widow  and  assisting  some 
dependent  relatives. 

"  There  is  also  connected  with  this  place  a  permanent 
interest,  which  will  make  it,  through  successive  generations, 
the  resort  of  those  who  are  interested  in  the  prosperity  of 
our  Church.  Commercial  cities  may  not  retain  an  interest 
so  enduring.  Changes  in  the  laws  of  commerce,  against 
which  no  human  sagacity  can  provide,  may  yet  number  the 
monumental  city  of  the  Chesapeake,  like  the  hundred  gated 
Thebes  of  the  Nile,  among  the  things  lost  on  earth.  Causes 
may  conspire,  in  the  long  lapse  of  time,  to  number  the  days 
of  our  own  commercial  cities  on  the  Ohio.  The  plough 
may  yet  pass  over  their  sites,  and  the  luxuriant  corn  grow 
in  their  streets,  while  other  towns,  on  sites  now  unknown 
and  unthought  of,  may  supply  their  places.  But  here  is 
formed  an  institution  which  must  live  and  flourish  and 
remain  an  object  of  deep  interest. 

"  The  seventy  thousand  members  of  our  Church  in 
Indiana,  as  well  as  thousands  more  who  are  not  in  Church 
fellowship  with  us,  have  enshrined  the  Asbury  University 
in  their  hearts,  and  its  friends  will  continue  to  increase  with 
the  growth  of  the  Church  and  the  prosperity  of  the  state. 
When  Time  shall  have  laid  his  crumbling  touch  upon  this 
edifice,  another,  more  beautiful  and  noble,  shall  arise  in  its 
place.  Here,  through  successive  ages,  shall  come  up  from 
the  fertile  plains  and  green  valleys — from  the  hills  of  the 
*  Ohio — from  the  prairies  of  the  Wabash — and  from  the 
shores  of  Michigan,  the  youth,  the  strength  and  hope  of 
the  land,  to  enter  the  lists  for  the  race,  and  to  compete  for 
the  prize  which  learning  holds  out  to  her  votaries;  while  at 
each  annual  festival,  the  venerable  and  beautiful  shall  come 
to  witness  the  ceremonies.  Here,  then,  may  they  behold 
on  that  canvass,  the  image,  and  on  that  knoll,  the  grave,  of 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  389 

the  man  of  God,  who  was  so  long  identified  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  Church,  and  whose  memory  should  never  die. 

♦«  There  is  interwoven  with  the  very  frame-work  of 
human  nature,  a  sentiment  whose  influence  has  led  to  the 
scene  before  us.  It  is  a  sentiment  of  respect  and  veneration 
for  the  departed.  It  is  this  which  leads  us  to  regard  the 
place  where  rest  the  dead,  as  holy  ground,  and  to  desire 
that  we  ourselves,  when  life  is  over,  may  sleep  by  the  side 
of  those  we  have  known  and  loved.  When  the  old  patriarch 
Jacob  was  expiring  in  Egypt,  he  charged  his  sons  to  bury 
him  in  the  land  of  Palestine,  with  his  fathers,  where  had 
been  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah,  and  Isaac  and  Rebecca, 
and  where  he  had  buried  Leah.  And  when  Joseph  was 
dying,  his  last  request  was,  that  when  God  should  visit  his 
people  and  bring  them  out  of  Egypt  unto  the  land  of 
promise,  they  should  carry  up  his  remains  and  bury  him 
with  his  fathers.  Barzillai,  the  Gileadite,  declined  in  his 
old  age,  the  offer  of  a  home  in  the  house  of  the  king,  that 
he  might  return  to  his  native  place  and  be  buried  by  the 
grave  of  his  father  and  of  his  mother.  Among  the  people 
of  the  east,  the  dwellings  of  the  dead  were  much  more  per- 
manent and  substantial  than  those  of  the  living.  Of  the 
innumerable  multitudes  of  living  men  who  once  swarmed 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  not  one  solitary  habitation  is  left; 
but  their  tombs  still  remain ;  and  in  those  tombs  are  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  preserved  at  immense  expense  and  care. 
The  tombs  of  Palestine  were  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock. 
In  one  of  these  was  Jesus  laid,  and  to  it  Mary  went  to 
weep.  The  surviving  Chieftain  of  Ilion's  scattered  bands, 
in  all  his  wanderings  toward  Italy,  carried  with  him  the 
remains  of  his  father,  the  old  Anchises.  And  Andromache, 
the  wife  of  Hector,  when  carried  away  into  captivity,  on 
the  inhospitable  coasts  of  Thrace,  erected  a  mound  of  green 
turf  to  the  memory  of  her  husband,  and  performed  over  it 
annually  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  her  country.  Even  the 
33* 


390  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

North  American  Indian,  exhibits  the  same  propensity. 
Forced  by  circumstances  beyond  his  control  to  leave  his 
native  land,  his  last,  deep  drawn  sigh  is  heaved  from  his 
bosom  over  the  grave  of  his  fathers ;  and  his  last  lingering 
look,  as  he  takes  up  his  line  of  march  for  the  west,  is  toward 
the  place  where  lie  the  departed  of  his  tribe.  We  acknowl- 
edge ourselves  subject  to  the  same  influences.  It  is  this 
universal  and  undying  sentiment  of  humanity  which  has 
brought  us  together  now.  In  that  coffin  rests  the  body  of 
one  who,  while  living,  was  an  honor  to  our  state,  of  which 
he  was  so  long  a  citizen,  to  the  Church,  of  which  he  was  a 
good  minister,  and  to  humanity,  of  which  he  was  a  noble 
specimen.  On  that  beautiful  spot,  we  have  made  his  grave. 
There  we  will  deposit  his  body  in  the  bosom  of  earth,  the 
common  mother  of  all  that  is  mortal.  We  will  gather  over 
him  a  mound  of  green,  fresh  turf,  and  on  it  we  will  erect  a 
monument  of  marble.  Around  his  grave  shall  bloom  the 
violet  of  spring  and  the  rose  of  summer.  No  gloom  can 
hang  around  that  spot.  No  sadness  can  linger  there.  The 
bright  beams  of  the  sun  will  fall  upon  it,  when  first  he  rises 
above  the  eastern  hills  and  when  last  he  appears  above  the 
western  forest.  The  child  will  not  fear,  in  the  dimness  of 
twilight,  to  pass  alone  by  the  beautiful  spot  where  the  good 
man  is  buried.  He  might  deem  that  sainted  spirit  the 
guardian  genius  of  the  place.  Who  would  shun  the  place 
where  sleep  the  good  ?  Who  loves  not  to  linger  at  twilight 
among  the  graves  of  the  gentle  and  the  lovely  ?  Why 
may  we  not  believe  that  the  spirits  of  the  good  yet  hold 
communion  with  our  own  spirits  ?  Ah,  I  sometimes  seem 
to  hear  the  tones  of  voices,  no  longer  mortal,  speaking  to 
me  in  accents  sweet  as  the  harp  of  Ariel — the  voices  of  loved 
ones  long  since  departed.  I  see  beaming  on  me  with 
angelic  loveliness,  the  eye  that  watched  over  my  sleeping 
infancy.  I  feel  the  pressure  of  the  gentle  hand  that  guided 
my  youthful  steps.    I  feel  that  a  spell  is  on  me  which  I 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  391 

could  not  break  if  I  would,  and  which  I  would  not  if  I 
could.  We  need  not  fear  to  cherish  such  sentiments.  They 
can  do  us  no  harm,  and  may  do  us  much  good. 

"  While  we  see  before  us  the  body  of  this  good  man  raised 
from  the  grave,  we  are  naturally  reminded  of  that  other 
resurrection,  in  which  both  he  and  we  shall  have  a  part. 
Though  the  earth  has  now  given  up  his  body,  it  is  but  for 
a  moment.  She  will  soon  claim  it  again.  But  in  that 
resurrection,  she  will  claim  it  no  more.  The  body  is  now 
there,  but  the  spell  of  death  is  yet  on  it.  The  irresistible 
power  of  corruption  is  yet  operative.  But  then  the  spell 
of  death  will  be  broken,  and  the  power  of  corruption  will 
cease.  He  will  arise  in  the  image  of  his  Savior,  with  a 
body  all  spiritual  and  glorious.  That  body  will  have  no 
wrinkle  of  care  on  the  brow,  nor  furrow  of  age  on  the 
cheek.  That  eye  will  no  longer  be  dim,  nor  that  voice 
silent.  And  at  that  scene  you,  and  I,  and  all  of  us,  will  be 
present.  We  shall  not  be  mere  spectators,  but  we  shall 
have  an  eternal  weight  of  interest  in  the  events  then  to  occur. 
May  we  be  of  those,  of  whom  it  shall  be  said,  'Blessed 
and  holy  are  they  who  have  part  in  the  first  resurrection, 
for  on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power.'  " 

After  the  address,  the  body  was  removed  to  the 
grave,  where  the  funeral  service  was  read  by  President 
Simpson.  The  coffin  was  then  lowered  down,  and  the 
earth  gathered  over  it;  to  be  disturbed  no  more  till  those 
who  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son 
of  God. 

The  author  of  this  biography  is  exceedingly  pleased  to 
avail  himself  of  the  valuable  aid  of  the  Rev.  L.  L.  Ham- 
line,  in  furnishing  the  character  of  Bishop  Roberts.  The 
following  delineation  of  the  various  features  of  the  Bishop's 
character  was  prepared  by  him,  and  published  in  the  April 
number,  for  the  year  1844,  of  the  Ladies'  Repository, 
of  which  he  is  the  editor.    The  biographer  of  the  Bishop 


392 


DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 


believes  this  to  be  superior  to  any  thing  which  he  can 
write,  and,  therefore,  adopts  it  as  the  best  description  which 
we  can  furnish. 

"  The  character  of  Bishop  Roberts  is  a  theme  for  pious 
rather  than  curious  minds.  It  displays  nothing  bold,  and  is 
associated  with  nothing  tragic  or  romantic.  He  never  com- 
manded conquering  armies,  nor  directed  the  sacking  and 
burning  of  towns  or  cities.  He  never  met  a  challenged  foe 
or  friend  in  mortal  combat.  We  know  not  that  he  ever  fell 
among  thieves,  or  escaped  an  ambush,  or  suffered  impris- 
onment or  shipwreck.  His  life  is  not  a  region  of  moun- 
tains and  valleys — these  so  deep  and  covert  that  the  sun- 
beams cannot  penetrate  them,  and  those  so  lofty  as  to  be 
crowned  with  summer  snows.  Yet,  like  a  rolling  country, 
it  has  charms  of  some  sort,  even  as  the  prairie,  with  its 
groves  and  wild  flowers,  is  by  no  means  devoid  of  nature's 
graces  and  enchantments.  He  who  loves  nothing  but  crags 
and  cataracts,  need  not  read  this  description ;  but  whoever 
delights  to  trace  a  stream  in  its  gentle  meanderings  through 
fields,  which  it  moistens  and  fertilizes,  may  feel  some 
interest  in  this  brief  notice. 

<'  Bishop  Roberts  was  comely  in  his  person.  His  stature 
was  about  five  feet,  ten  inches.  His  frame  was  heavy  and 
robust,  and  in  middle  and  later  life  corpulent.  But  his  old 
age  was  not  helpless;  and  up  to  within  a  year  of  his  death, 
(beyond  which  we  did  not  see  him,)  his  walk  and  all  his 
motions  indicated  that  he  was  formed  for  physical  action 
and  endurance.  God,  who  called  him,  at  a  given  period, 
to  a  work  which  demanded  much  physical  force,  endowed 
him,  in  this  respect,  for  his  vocation.  He  sat,  stood  and 
moved  with  great  dignity,  in  private  and  in  public,  without 
any  effort  or  stiffness.  There  was  great  uniformity  in  his 
appearance  and  manners.  He  was  never  caught  in  a  slight 
overt  swell,  or  momentary  pompousness,  as  though  the 
inner  man  were  slightly  high-blown,  or  the  sails  of  his 


CHAP.  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  393 

soul  were  imreefed  under  the  sudden  pressure  of  a  breeze 
of  favor  or  applause.  And  as  he  was  not  easily  puffed 
up — a  mood  which  we  challenge  all  willing  or  unwilling 
witnesses  to  charge  on  him — so  neither  was  he  wont  to  be 
cowered.  He  endured  ill  treatment,  if  necessary,  with  the 
calm  dignity  of  unaffected  meekness.  We  once  saw  him 
tested  in  this  way;  and  in  no  circumstances  did  he  ever 
win  from  us  greater  admiration. 

"  He  had  large — not  gross — features.  His  countenance 
expressed  as  much  of  manly  benignity  as  the  human  face 
can  well  set  forth.  His  eye  was  blue;  and  its  calmness 
was  particularly  noticeable.  Under  provocations  to  inward 
change,  it  did  not  report  much  that  seemed  worthy  of  notice, 
except  that  the  provocation  had  taken  little  or  no  effect.  In 
a  word,  it  was  not  a  kindling  eye.  It  did  not,  under  the 
colorings  of  inward  emotion,  sparkle  with  inflamed  lustre. 
We  cannot  describe  this  feature  of  the  Bishop  better  than 
to  say  he  had  a  calm,  blue  eye.  His  personal  presence — 
•^tout  ensemble'' — was  truly  venerable,  and  commanded 
great  respect. 

"  His  manners  were  wholly  suited  to  his  profession  and 
his  sphere.  He  was  exceedingly  unaffected,  which  is  more 
important  than  any  other  single  item  in  reckoning  up  the 
severalities  of  what  is  called  'good  manners.'  His  artless- 
ness  was  manifest  to  all,  for  it  was  unequivocal  as  sunshine. 
Every  glance,  and  smile,  and  cadence,  was  in  the  spirit  and 
the  style  of  true  simplicity.  This  being  uniform,  imparted 
a  peculiar  charm  to  his  cheerful  domestic  and  social  fellow- 
ships. He  was,  in  heart,  sincere.  And  when  an  actor  is 
without  disguise,  his  movements  will,  of  course,  seem 
unconstrained.  His  were  so.  In  private  and  in  public, 
naturalness  was  so  prominent  in  the  Bishop's  character, 
that  the  most  unpracticed  observer  would  scarcely  fail  to 
remark  it. 

"  We  shall  err,  if  we  conclude  that  this  simplicity  had 


394  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 

in  it  any  thing  improperly  juvenile  or  childish.  Incompe- 
tent judges,  who  knew  not  his  station  and  character,  miglit 
blunder,  and  infer  that,  as  he  was  plain  and  unpretending, 
so,  also,  he  was  without  merit  and  consideration ;  but  there 
was  little  danger  that  he  should  be  so  mistaken  by  sagacious 
and  experienced  observers. 

"  Nor  must  it  be  inferred  that  he  had  not  the  talent,  or 
inclination,  to  judge  of  the  manners  of  those  with  whom 
he  mingled.  None  noticed  more  promptly  than  he  did,  the 
improprieties  of  behavior  which  occurred  under  his  obser- 
vation. We  have  seen  him  blush  like  an  embarrassed 
child,  at  the  errors  and  self-exposure  of  others  in  the  con- 
ference-room, when  he  had  no  manner  of  concern  in  the 
misfortune,  except  an  interest  of  sympathy  for  the  perpe- 
trator of  the  folly.  On  one  occasion,  when  a  rule  of  con- 
ference prescribed  that  no  member  sliould  speak  a  second 
time  on  any  resolution,  till  all  others,  who  desired  it,  had 
enjoyed  the  opportunity,  two  brethren  arose  together.  The 
Bishop  awarded  the  floor  to  the  elder,  who  had  not  yet 
spoken.  But  the  younger,  who  had  already  made  two 
efforts,  commenced  declaiming  in  the  most  impassioned 
tones.  '  That  brother,'  said  the  Bishop,  '  is  now  up  the 
third  time,  and  here  is  a  much  older  brother  on  his  feet, 
who  has  not  spoken  at  all.  The  rules  give  him  the  floor, 
and  I  wish  he  might  be  permitted  to  speak — I  think  the 
conference  wish  to  hear  him.'  Meanwhile,  the  younger 
speaker  was  under  full  way,  and,  in  the  heat  of  his  endeav- 
or, never  paused  to  hear  what  the  Bishop  said.  The  mem- 
bers on  all  sides  were  staring  at  his  effrontery  with  aston- 
ishment, and  could  scarcely  restrain  their  indignation.  The 
Bishop  said  no  more ;  but  his  face  was  crimsoned  with 
blushes  for  the  misfortune  of  the  young  orator,  who  had 
placed  himself  in  a  position  so  repulsive  before  his  brethren 
and  the  spectators. 

"The  religion  of  Bishop  Roberts  was  deep,  ardent. 


CHAP.  Xin.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  395 

uniform  and  active.  His  piety  was  deep.  Early  subdued 
by  Divine  grace,  the  spirit  of  religion  had  become  as  a 
second  nature. 

*'  Some  of  us  were  so  late  in  our  return  to  God,  (blessed 
be  his  name  that  we  were  ever  brought  to  love  him !)  that 
our  religion,  though  it  makes  us  joyful  in  Christ,  seems 
scarcely  to  sit  easy  or  naturally  upon  us,  as  it  does  on 
those  who  were  early  and  faithful  in  their  profession.  Like 
scholars  without  early  advantages,  who  are  always  apt  to 
betray  the  defects  of  juvenile  training,  by  incorrect  orthogra- 
phy, or  some  other  litUe  matter,  and  whose  science,  though 
extensive,  does  not  appear  to  form  a  part  of  their  mental 
constitution,  (as  it  does  in  cases  of  precocious  scholarship ;) 
so  sinful  tempers  and  habits,  long  indulged  and  strongly 
fortified,  do  sometimes,  after  the  heart  is  changed,  mar  the 
symmetry  of  Christian  character.  But  Bishop  Roberts  was 
an  example  of  the  intimate  blending  of  our  holy  religion 
with  all  the  sanctified  elements  of  the  being.  There  was 
an  unconstrained  religiousness  in  all  his  types  of  manner — 
in  every  mood,  which  was  exceedingly  proper  and  attractive. 
He  never  seemed  to  strive  to  be  religious,  but  appeared  to 
be  spontaneously  so.  Doubtless,  he  did  strive ;  but  the 
effort  itself  had  become  so  much  a  habit,  that  it  did  not  look 
like  striving. 

"  His  piety  was  ardent.  It  was  not  light  without  heat — a 
phosphorescence  which  could  neither  kindle  nor  consume. 
It  is  true,  that  he  was  well  trained  in  Christian  doctrines  and 
ethics.  He  was  sufficiently  meditative;  and  his  intellect 
was  religious.  But  this  is  so  common,  especially  with  the 
ministers  of  Christ,  that  it  need  not  be  testified  of  those 
who  occupied  prominent  ecclesiastical  stations.  But  ardent 
devotion  is  another  thing — less  common,  and  not  certainly 
to  be  inferred  from  any  man's  sphere,  however  responsible 
or  prominent.  But  none  could  be  intimate  with  the  Bishop, 
and  note  his  manners  in  private  and  in  public,  without  gath- 


396  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAT.  XHI. 

ering  sufficient  proofs  that  his  heart,  as  well  as  his  under- 
standing, was  deeply  imbued  with  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and 
was  controlled  by  the  impulses  of  charity  and  inward 
godliness. 

"  On  this  point,  we  testify  what  we  have  witnessed  in 
various  circumstances,  and  at  different  times.  We  never 
saw  him  at  class  meeting ;  but  we  observed  him  at  prayer 
meetings  and  love  feasts.  There  he  seemed  to  forget  that  any 
other  dignity  ever  attached  to  him  than  that  of  the  humblest 
follower  of  the  Lamb.  In  1841  we  saw  him  rise  to  speak 
in  a  large  love  feast.  He  commenced  thus  :  '  Brothers  and 
sisters,  I  feel  a  desire  to  rise  and  tell  you  what  Jesus  has 
done  for  my  soul.'  Struck  with  the  simplicity  and  the  com- 
monness of  his  language,  we  immediately  treasured  it  up  in 
our  memory.  Had  a  stranger  to  Bishop  Roberts  entered 
the  door  at  that  moment,  he  would  probably  (but  for  his 
position  in  the  pulpit)  have  set  tlie  speaker  down  as  a  plain 
old  farmer,  of  good  sense  and  sincere  piety,  but  far  less 
episcopal  in  his  manner  than  half  the  brethren  present. 
And  he  would  have  inferred,  from  his  manner,  that  his 
whole  heart  was  absorbed  in  the  one  great  and  glorious 
interest  of  personal  religion — of  seeking  and  enjoying  the 
in-dwelling  God.  Sanguine  temperaments,  though  chas- 
tened and  subdued,  when  kindled  by  fire  from  heaven,  as 
was  the  heart  of  Bishop  Roberts,  are  apt  to  glow,  as  his 
did,  with  intense  ardor.  We  have  said  he  had  not  a  kindling 
eye ;  but  he  had  a  flaming  heart.  He  was  no  stranger  to 
deep  emotion.  We  have  seen  him  when  grace  was  a  flame 
in  the  soul,  and  he  scarcely  knew  how  to  express  his 
rapture.  We  remember  that  once,  as  he  sat  behind  a 
preacher  who  spoke  with  great  zeal,  he  burst  out  in  a  loud 
and  passionate  exclamation,  and  might  have  been  pronounc- 
ed, by  certain  Cliristians  of  the  colder  sort,  '  beside  '  himself. 

"  But  it  may  be  asked,  how  so  much  ardor  could  have 
been  blended  with  the  calmness,  or  evenness,  which  we 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  397 

have  ascribed  to  him.  We  answer,  that  it  depends  in  part 
upon  the  fact,  that  his  religion  was  also  uniform.  It  did 
not  kindle  up,  to  blaze  a  moment,  and  then  expire.  It  was 
a  lamp  well  fed,  and  always  lighted.  We  often  find  ardor 
blended  with  variableness ;  and  this  begets  a  prejudice  in 
our  minds  against  it.  But,  then,  this  variableness  is  an 
accidental,  not  a  necessary  accompaniment  of  glowing 
Christian  zeal.  Angels  are  all  ardor,  yet  never  waning  in 
their  holy  zeal  and  raptures.  So  of  glorified  saints,  who 
'  rest  not  day  nor  night.'  And  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earth 
there  may  be  in  us  unremitted  ardor.  Paul,  Fletcher,  and 
(near  the  close  of  life)  the  godly  Payson,  are  examples  to 
the  point.  Bishop  Roberts  belonged  to  the  same  class  in 
the  great  Teacher's  school. 

"  His  piety  was  active.  No  monkish  tendencies  restrained 
his  inward  zeal.  In  a  hermit's  cell,  or  the  ascetic's  cloister, 
he  would  have  been  as  an  eagle  caged.  A  continent  was 
narrow  enough  for  him.  Like  the  '  angel  flying  through 
the  midst  of  heaven,'  his  charity  sought  audience  of  nations. 
Think  of  the  expanded  field  of  his  ministry ;  and  instead 
of  gradually  diminishing  it,  as  advancing  age  might  have 
suggested,  in  the  very  last  spring  months  of  his  life  he 
breaks  away  from  the  assigned  bounds  of  his  episcopal  toil, 
and,  unappbinted  of  all  but  God,  plunges  into  western  wilds, 
on  extra  missions  toward  the  setting  sun.  We  know  not 
liow  the  miasmatic  agencies  of  the  unsettled  regions  through 
which  he  then  traveled  affected  his  health,  or  were  remotely 
connected  with  his  death ;  but  we  think  of  him  in  these 
extreme  wanderings  as  we  tiiink  of  the  setting  sun,  wlien, 
in  his  pure  and  cloudless  Occident,  he  seems  to  pour  his 
brightest  beams  over  the  landscape,  as  he  pauses  a  moment 
to  bid  the  hemisphere  adieu. 

"  As  a  preacher,  his  manner  was  earnest  rather  than  im- 
passioned. He  spoke  with  great  fluency,  and  his  words 
were  well  chosen.  They  did  not  seem  to  be  '  sought  out,' 
34 


398  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  '         [cHAP.  XIII. 

and  yet  they  were  'acceptable.'  He  never  labored  for 
thoughts  or  language.  They  came  spontaneously,  like 
water  flowing  downward.  He  was  a  student,  yet  his  ser- 
mons never  '  smelt  of  the  lamp.'  To  the  writer  he  was  one 
of  the  most  impressive  speakers,  and  yet  we  can  scarcely 
tell  why.  He  had  the  same  unaffected  manner  in  the  pulpit, 
which  rendered  him  so  agreeable  in  private. 

"  His  discourses  were  didactic,  yet  by  no  means  wanting 
in  hortatory  effect  or  pathos.  They  were  very  systematic, 
without  any  apparent  labor  or  pains  to  make  them  so.  His 
eye,  as  we  have  already  described  it,  did  not  speak  to  the 
audience  by  intense,  wild  flashings,  but  its  calm  and  benev- 
olent expression  most  pleasingly  impressed  the  hearer. 
He  was  free  from  defect — was,  as  an  orator,  in  this  respect, 
perfect. 

"It  is  said  of  Curran,  that  in  his  common  moods  he 
was  rapid  and  wholly  uninteresting — that  his  person  was 
diminutive  and  his  attire  slovenly — that  his  gestures  were 
ungraceful,  his  countenance  spiritless,  and  his  eye  perfectly 
destitute  of  the  sparkle  of  genius,  or  even  the  light  of  intel- 
ligence. When  he  commenced  a  forensic  address,  the 
witnesses  say  he  was  inanimate  and  repulsive,  and  that  a 
stranger  would  have  been  tempted,  by  his  unpromising 
appearance,  to  withdraw  from  the  court-room.  But  as  he 
pursued  his  argument,  and  his  heart  waxed  warm  under 
its  inspiration,  the  man  was  strangely  transformed  into  the 
orator.  It  is  affirmed  that  his  very  stature  seemed  to 
change,  and  he  rose  in  the  eye  of  the  astonished  spectator 
into  a  form  of  the  most  imposing  and  commanding  dignity. 
His  unmeaning  features  were  remolded,  and  became  all 
animate  and  seemingly  immortal  with  the  kindling  fervors 
of  his  roused  and  glowing  genius,  until — to  use  the  lan- 
guage of  a  celebrated  writer — 'he  alone  seemed  to  be 
majestic  in  creation.' 

"  This  was  not  Bishop  Roberts.    He  was  no  such  orator 


CHAP.  XIll.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  399 

as  Curran.  Yet  he  was  an  orator.  We  hazard  nothing  in 
emphatically  re-affirming  that  he  was  an  orator.  For 
eloquence  is  as  various  as  beauty.  It  is  now  a  torrent,  and 
now  a  gently  flowing  stream — now  a  rushing  tempest,  and 
now  a  soft,  refreshing  breeze.  But  it  is  always  something 
that  charms  the  inward  sense,  which  was  precisely  the 
effect  of  the  Bishop's  happy  efforts. 

"  His  delivery  was  uniform.  It  was  a  full  cuiTent  from 
the  beginning,  and  flowed  on  eveirfy  to  the  end.  He  com- 
menced with  a  pitch  of  the  voice  which  all  could  hear 
distinctly.  He  never  committed  the  most  glaring  of  all 
errors  in  a  public  speaker — that  of  restraining  the  voice  at 
the  beginning,  so  that  not  a  fourth  of  the  audience  can 
gather  his  meaning  for  the  first  ten  minutes,  and,  of  course, 
must  lose  the  force  of  what  remains.  Unlike  Curran  and 
many  others,  the  first  sentence  of  his  lips  began  to  find 
favor  with  the  hearer. 

"  We  will  add — not  so  much  for  his  memory's  sake,  as 
for  the  good  of  Christ's  living  ministers — that  Bishop 
Roberts  preached  from  experience;  not  that  he  spoke  of 
himself,  but  from  himself ;  that  is,  he  testified  what  he  had 
felt  and  therefore  knew.  When  he  proclaimed  that  «  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save,'  it  was  not  a  mere  spec- 
ulation, affirmed  to  him  by  Scriptural  authority,  sacred  as  it 
is ;  but  it  was  also  an  experimental  verity,  assured  to  him 
by  unequivocal  consciousness — by  the  witnessing  of  the 
Divine  Spirit  with  his  own.  He  was  not — as  we  fear  many 
are  in  the  sight  of  the  great  Shepherd — a  hireling,  whose 
profane  end  is  wordly  gain.  He  made  merchandise  of 
none.  He  was  not  a  nurse  applying  the  spoon  or  bottle,  to 
feed  others  on  what  himself  had  never  tasted,  and  could  not 
relish.  He  first  feasted  liis  own  soul  on  the  life-giving 
promises,  and,  then,  like  a  mother  to  her  infant,  he  poured 
out  the  '  sincere  milk  of  the  word '  from  his  own  overflow- 
ing bosom,  to  the  precious  nurslings  of  Christ's  growing 


400 


DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 


family.  Happy  pastor,  who  thus  cherishing  the  flock,  is 
himself  fed  in  distributing  to  others  ! 

"Let  us,  in  conclusion,  glance  at  the  character  of  Bishop 
Roberts,  as  it  was  unfolded  in  his  last  and  most  responsible 
relation  to  the  Church.  Tlie  functions  with  which  he  was 
clotlied,  by  the  free  and  competent  suffrages  of  his  ecclesi- 
astical peers,  (and  by  the  act  of  the  whole  Church,  repre- 
sented in  his  peers,)  brought  upon  him  the  severest 
embarrassments  of  his  ministerial  life,  and  afforded  the 
surest  test  of  his  integrity  and  worth. 

"  He  was  a  Bishop.  That  office  he  derived  from  the 
purest  source,  and  executed  by  the  highest  warrant  known 
upon  earth.  In  harmony  with  its  holy  origin  and  perfect 
sanction,  (we  speak  not  now  of  carnal  successions,  or  other 
wanton  fables,)  his  episcopal  duties  were  exceedingly 
onerous,  and  influential  to  an  unrivaled  extent.  His  incum- 
bency was  not  like  that  of  a  mere  diocesan,  with  a  flock  of 
two,  five,  or  ten  thousand  souls.  His  concurrent  jurisdiction 
was  over  hundreds  of  thousands.  The  clergy  alone  of  his 
supervision,  were  more  than  the  membership  of  three  or 
four  surrounding  dioceses  of  a  sister  Church. 

"  In  this  elevated  sphere,  he  proved  to  all  how  richly,  for 
self-control  and  public  duty,  the  grace  of  God  endowed  him. 
He  still '  magnified  his  office.'  What  was  worthy  of  special 
notice  in  his  episcopal  career,  may  be  set  forth  under  the 
heads  of  meekness,  diligence,  decision  and  discretion. 

"  And  first  in  order  is  his  meekness.  In  him  the  '  Bish- 
op' did  not  spoil  the  man,  nor  mar  the  Christian,  nor,  by 
exalting,  minify  the  minister.  Bishop  Roberts  was  never 
in  the  way  of  Mr.  Roberts,  brother  Roberts,  or  Jiev.  R.  R. 
Roberts.  The  apostle  did  not  hinder  the  disciple.  If 
primus  inter  pares,  (first  among  equals,)  he  did  not  forget 
the  important  fact  that  his  peers  placed  him  first,  and  that 
tlu-ough  them  '  the  Holy  Ghost  made  him  overseer.'  It 
was  a  pleasant  thing  to  sit  beside  him  in  the  parlor,  or  before 


CHAP.  Xni.3  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  401 

him  in  the  conference-room,  and  note  with  what  Christian 
modesty  and  meekness  he  indulged  his  free  communings 
with  all  the  flock  of  God. 

"  In  183-  a  declaimer  against  Bishops  lectured  in  N., 
where  we  were  stationed.  He  described  them  as  lordly 
and  tyrannical,  passing  through  the  country  in  a  style  not 
much  less  magnificent  than  that  of  the  finical  Borgia,  the 
pompons  son  of  the  Pope.  The  citizens  became  indignant 
at  Methodism,  which  fostered,  as  they  supposed,  a  high- 
blown aristocracy.  A  few  weeks  after,  Bishop  Roberts 
providentially  came  along,  and  spent  a  Sabbath  with  us. 
The  news  spread  on  all  sides,  that  one  of  the  puff'ed  up 
magnates  would  preach  at  eleven  o'clock.  The  house  was 
early  over-filled  with  the  curious  and  the  prejudiced,  to 
witness  a  display.  In  due  time  forth  came  the  Bishop  in 
his  worn  calico  'robe,'  (which  probably  cost  twelve  and  a 
half  cents  per  yard,)  and  all  his  other  vestments  in  strict 
keeping  with  its  splendor.  Seldom  were  a  people  more 
surprised  than  at  his  appearance  and  address.  And  as  the 
good  old  man  preached  Jesus  in  his  usual  artless  tones  and 
manner,  the  strong  premature  current  of  indignation  was 
changed  to  the  most  unbounded  admiration.  The  next  day 
the  irreligious  on  all  sides  were  uttering  bold  denunciations 
against  '  the  hypocritical  vilifier  of  Methodist  Bishops 
and  not  long  after,  the  seceders,  to  whom  that  man  had 
lectured,  gave  up  their  new  church,  returned  in  a  body,  and 
left  no  relic,  as  we  are  aware,  of  their  former  disaffection 
towards  Episcopal  Methodists  or  their  Bishops. 

"  As  to  his  diligence,  enough  has  been  said  to  prove  that 
he  was  not  an  idler  in  the  vineyard.  No  man  could  conse- 
crate his  energies  more  undividedly  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Through  the  infirmities  of  age  and  the  power  of  disease,  lie 
failed  in  a  few  instances  to  perform  the  labor  which  fell  to 
him  in  the  division  of  the  work.  But  the  only  wonder  is, 
that  he  did  not  oftener  fail.  And  it  is  admirable  that  some 
34^ 


403 


DEATH  AND  CHARACTER  [cHAP.  XIIl, 


of  his  colleagues,  as  though  a  new  life  inspired  their  sink- 
ing age,  and  renewed  in  them  their  palmy  vigor,  should 
continue  to  traverse  the  continent,  like  the  apostle  « taking 
pleasure  in  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest 
upon  them.'  We  have  had,  as  yet,  no  sinecures  in  the 
high  places  of  our  Zion;  and  from  what  is  past,  there 
seems  no  special  need  to  guard  with  dread  suspicion  against 
that  misfortune.  The  spirit  of  our  Superintendents  has 
been  strongly  antagonist  thereto;  and  if  more  than  are 
needed  for  their  duties  were  set  apart  for  the  office,  we  pre- 
sume the  evil  would  find  a  cure.  The  course  of  Dr.  Fisk, 
and  the  voluntary  surrender  of  liis  prerogatives  by  Bishop 
Roberts,  in  1836,  which  the  conference  so  suddenly  (and 
perhaps  wisely)  declined  to  accept,  warrant  the  hope  that 
Bishops  will  not  so  multiply  as  to  become  an  irreformable 
reproach,  or  an  over-burden  to  our  Zion.  God  grant,  in 
his  mercy,  that  like  Roberts  and  his  colleagues,  we  may 
retain  in  this  high  office  men  who  shall  continue  abundant 
in  labors,  and  who  shall  feel,  '  it  matters  not  where  I  fall 
so  that  I  fall  at  my  post.' 

"  Decision  Avas  a  trait  in  the  character  of  Bishop  Rob- 
erts. When  necessary  for  public  ends,  he  was  immovable 
as  a  rock.  Not  that  he  was  obstinate.  It  is  a  legal  prin- 
ciple that  '  the  law  minds  not  little  things.'  Neither  did 
Bishop  Roberts.  He  would  not  contend  for  trifles,  nor  for 
what  merely  concerned  himself.  There  must  be  something 
which  he  deemed  worthy  to  inspire  decision,  and  then  it 
was  inspired.  If  the  Church  was  concerned  in  some 
measure  that  seemed  to  threaten  danger  or  expose  to  harm, 
he  stood  in  the  breach.  Peaceable  as  he  loved  to  be,  and 
retiring  and  self-sacrificing  as  he  usually  was,  when  duty 
demanded,  he  was  ready  to  '  speak  with  the  enemy  in  the 
gate.'  In  our  Church  judicatories,  when  disorder  arose 
and  long  forbearance  proved  unavailing,  with  what  eflect 
did  he  finally  put  forth  his  presiding  power,  to  reprove 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  403 

inattention,  and  command  order  in  business  and  debate. 
Many  will  recollect  examples  in  which  he  instantly  hushed 
the  confusion  of  the  conference-room,  and  secured  the 
prompt  and  decorous  attention  of  every  listless  member 
to  the  subject  in  hand.  Yet  all  this  was  generally  done 
with  a  spirit  and  manner  so  conciliatory,  as  to  provoke  no 
other  than  the  kindest  feelings. 

"  Finally,  though  he  was  decided,  he  was  also  discreet. 
Like  a  judicious  commander  in  the  battle-field,  he  would 
throw  himself  into  any  posture  of  responsibility  or  danger, 
if  some  exigency  rendered  it  his  duty.  But  never  would 
he  do  it  wantonly,  or  for  mere  love  of  power.  He  invoked 
no  episcopal  prerogatives  where  the  law  of  the  Church  did 
not  prescribe  their  use.  Like  the  high  priest  of  the  the- 
ocracy, he  would,  when  permitted,  gladly  lay  aside  Urim 
and  Thummim.  He  loved  his  robe  of  office  only  when 
he  must  execute  its  functions.  He  knew  when,  as  well  as 
how,  « to  be  exalted  and  abased ;'  and  of  the  two,  the  latter 
was  preferred. 

"It  follows  that  he  was  concentric  in  his  official  move- 
ments. He  never  plunged  into  spheres  which  did  not  need 
and  claim  him.  He  was  as  careful  not  to  transcend,  as  he 
was  prompt  to  approach  the  line  of  duty.  Like  the  morn- 
ing star,  (for  thus  had  Christ  appointed  his  radiant  goings 
forth,)  he  was  content  to  shed  a  lustre  on  his  own  ordained 
circle,  without  impinging  on  remote  or  smaller  bodies ;  for 
he  remembered  that  all  the  stars  are  held  '  in  His  right 
hand ;'  and  that,  if  harmony  prevails,  each  lends  a  grace  to 
others,  by  diflusing  another  charm,  or  revealing  another 
glory,  in  that  moral  hemisphere  which  does  contain 
them  all. 

"Some  who  trace  this  record,  may  question  the  claim 
set  up  in  behalf  of  Bishop  Roberts.  That  he  was  a  godly 
man  they  will  scarcely  deem  doubtful.  But,  '  as  an  elder 
and  a  Bishop,  whence  came  his  ordination  ?    Had  he  the 


404  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

true  succession?'  We  anticipate  such  queries,  on  no  other 
ground  than  because  the  times  are  fruitful  of  them.  They 
seem,  indeed,  to  be  nearly  all  that  certain  soils  can  now 
produce.  For  in  what  is  called  the  Church,  many  regions 
once  productive,  are  now  become  cold  and  sterile,  impov- 
erished by  we  know  not  what  imprudence  of  their  culti- 
vators. And  when  charity  and  zeal  can  no  more  grow,  like 
fields  bearing  thorns,  these  exhausted  soils  produce  things 
unwholesome;  and  sinister,  proud  challenges,  like  those 
above  suggested,  are  sometimes  scattered  here  and  there, 
amongst  many  other  sorts  alike  unsightly  and  unsavory. 
But  if  such  a  growth  is  met  in  this  or  that  field,  it  were 
better  not  to  curse,  but  if  any  thing  reform  it.  And  with 
this  simple  hope  we  will  give  a  meek  reply. 

"There  is  a  true  succession.  And  he  who  is  not  in  it 
can  be  no  minister  of  Christ  in  any  sphere.  He  is  alien 
from  all  orders,  whether  of  deacon  or  presbyter,  till  he  floats 
in  the  current  of  this  true  succession.  The  only  question 
is  how  to  find  it.  Some  will  have  it  traced  from  the  apos- 
tles, biographically,  setting  down  names  as  links  in  this 
lengthened  chain  of  priesthood.  But  this  labor  is  all  use- 
less, for  two  conclusive  reasons  : 

"1.  It  is  so  in  science,  for  we  have  no  means  to  come  at 
certainty,  or  even  probability,  in  regard  to  the  necessary 
facts.  We  might  nearly  as  well  go  to  ♦  Thaddeus  of  War- 
saw' for  such  a  line  of  succession,  as  to  more  frequented 
annals.  For  one  breach  is  confessed  to  be  as  fatal  as  a 
thousand ;  and  that  there  are  several  breaches,  is  beyond  all 
dispute. 

"  2.  This  labor  is  useless,  because  the  Bible  no  where 
teaches  that  such  a  succession,  could  it  be  traced,  has  any 
virtue  in  it.  It  promises  no  such  chain.  But  it  '  provides 
a  better  thing  for  us.' 

"  If  we  wish  to  find  what  course  the  streamlet  takes 
through  half  a  dozen  fields,  we  must  not  stand  by  the  foun- 


CHAP.  XIII.J  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  4U& 

tain  and  judge  by  the  pointings  of  its  first  outflows.  As- 
cend the  brow  of  the  hill,  and  cast  your  eye  over  the  adjoin- 
ing meadows.  Do  you  see  yonder  lines  of  rich,  rank 
green,  parted  here  and  there  by  the  willows  ?  Note  how 
it  winds  this  way  and  that,  first  through  one  and  then 
another  man's  inclosure.  That  line  of  fruitfulness  repre- 
sents the  true  succession.  You  need  not  trace  the  stream 
from  its  source.  Cross  those  fields  in  any  direction,  and 
where  you  strike  that  line  of  luxuriance,  you  touch  the  true 
succession.  These  fields  are  the  Churches.  Examine 
them.  Minutely  scan  that  which  claims  to  be  '  the  Church.' 
Trace,  if  you  can,  its  fruitful  streams.  With  its  various 
aspects  before  you  turn  to  Methodism.  See  her  converts 
in  hundreds  of  thousands,  springing  '  up  as  willows  by  the 
water  courses,'  and  then  say  whether  Asbury,  M'Kendree 
and  Roberts,  with  all  their  fellow-laborers,  whose  ministra- 
tions were  the  channels  through  which  these  streams  of  life 
did  flow,  were  without  the  gifts  and  callings  of  an  approved 
apostleship." 

We  cannot  pretend  to  improve  the  description  of  Bishop 
Roberts'  character,  by  our  gifted  brother  Hamline.  We 
will,  however,  add  a  few  remarks  of  our  own,  abridging 
what  was  prepared  at  greater  length. 

As  a  man,  his  personal  appearance  was  peculiarly  digni- 
fied, and  commanded  immediate  respect  from  almost  every 
observer.  There  was  something  so  noble  in  his  counte- 
nance, his  manly  form,  his  gait,  that  he  was  an  object  of^ 
respect  wherever  he  went.  His  presence  seemed  to  enlist 
the  regard  of  observers  at  once. 

His  manners,  too,  were  remarkably  simple  and  dignified. 
In  the  habitation  of  the  poor,  or  the  wigwam  of  tlie  Indian, 
he  was  at  home  ;  and  all  the  inmates  felt  that  their  guest  was 
one  who  could  mingle  with  them  at  their  fire-side,  and  be  a 
fellow-partner  in  such  things  as  they  had.  In  the  palaces  ot 
the  rich,  too,  he  was  entirely  at  ease  and  passed  through  the 


406 


DEATH  AND  CHARACTER.  [cHAP.  XIII. 


highest  circles  of  life,  when  his  lot  was  cast  there,  ats  one 
possessed  of  the  most  accomplished,  manners,  yet  without 
a  shred  of  ostentation,  or  even  without  aiming  at  a  single 
rule  of  politeness,  except  what  flowed  from  the  kindness  of 
his  heart,  and  his  own  good  judgment  of  what  was  befitting 
in  regard  to  time,  place,  persons  and  circumstances. 

Who  ever  exhibited  a  more  benevolent  countenance  than 
Bishop  Roberts  ?  And  who  ever  possessed  a  kinder  heart? 
None  could  fear  to  approach  him.  His  face  was  never  a 
lowering,  cloudy  sky.  His  eyes  never  flashed  the  lightning 
of  angry  petulance.  His  mouth  never  poured  forth  the 
withering  strictures  of  superannuated  churlishness,  nor  the 
rigid  decrees  of  ecclesiastical  despotism.  But  all  were  sure 
to  gain  the  cheering  sunshine  of  the  good  man's  smile,  the 
soothing  influence  of  his  tender  sympathy,  the  mild  and 
softening  rebukes  of  his  displeasure,  or  the  instructive  and 
entertaining  communications  of  his  discourse. 

He  was  calmly  intrepid.  And  though  apparently  not 
excelling  in  courage,  he  was  never  known  to  flinch  from 
clear  duty  or  sound  principles. 

And  there  was  a  native  ore  of  wisdom  and  prudence  in 
his  possession,  on  which  he  drew  on  all  occasions  as  from 
an  inexhaustible  store.  Hence,  an  unwise  decision  was 
perhaps  never  announced  by  him.  For  where  uncertainty 
met  him,  his  great  calmness,  tempered  by  his  prudence, 
prevented  him  from  deciding  at  all.  In  matters  of  doubtful 
disputation,  he  never  entered,  but  always  kept  within  the 
precincts  of  propriety. 

As  a  Christian,  he  possessed  every  mark  and  fruit  which 
characterize  the  good  man.  He  was  truly  an  experimental 
Christian.  Repentance,  and  faith,  and  love,  and  obedience, 
and  humility,  and  even  all  the  fruits  of  mature  religion  were 
matters  of  actual  knowledge,  experience  and  practice  with 
him. 

He  was,  also,  an  enlightened  Christian.    He  well  knew 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEATH  AND  CHARACTER. 


407 


his  duty  and  its  bounds.  He  was,  therefore,  neither  a  bigot 
nor  a  latitudinarian.  He  was,  also,  guided  by  overflow- 
ing generosity  in  the  way  he  should  go.  To  every  good 
work,  he  contributed,  at  times,  even  beyond  his  means. 
Had  he  been  rich,  he  would  soon  have  become  poor,  by  his 
benefactions  to  the  cause  of  literature  alone,  even  had  there 
been  no  other  demand  on  his  benevolence. 

As  a  minister  of  Christ,  he  possessed  all  those  qualifica- 
tions which  make  a  man  useful.  He  was  eloquent,  yet  his 
eloquence  consisted  in  great  plainness,  clear  views,  and  a 
remarkable  adaptation  in  his  matter,  manner  and  method,  to 
the  spiritual  good  of  his  hearers. 

As  a  Bishop  or  Superintendent  in  the  Church,  he  was 
endowed  with  those  gifts  which  render  a  man  peculiarly 
qualified  for  such  a  station.  He  never  pressed  matters  of 
no  importance,  and  laid  no  unnecessary  restraints  on  any 
one ;  yet  in  all  weighty  points,  he  was  firm  and  unyielding. 
When  the  interests  of  the  Church,  or  the  proper  rights  of 
individuals  or  bodies  were  concerned,  he  knew  no  rules  but 
truth,  justice  and  equity.  These  he  observed  sacredly.  In 
matters  of  indiflference,  he  never  insisted  on  his  prerogatives, 
but  always  yielded.  In  stationing  the  preachers,  he  inva- 
riably observed  two  episcopal  rules  :  1.  He  served  the 
people.  2.  And  then  the  preachers.  The  general  good 
always  prevailed  with  him. 

It  might  be  difllicult  to  fix  on  one  single  point  of  greatness 
in  Bishop  Roberts  ;  nor  can  we  mention  a  single  eccentrici- 
ty, which  so  often  counterbalances  great  qualities.  Yet  he 
was  no  ordinary  man,  though  we  may  find  it  difficult  to 
assign  him  a  place  among  the  great  men  of  the  earth.  Per- 
haps, had  he  known  his  own  strength,  his  sphere  of  opera- 
tion would  have  been  more  splendid  than  it  was.  And  yet 
there  was  nothing  equivocal  or  doubtful  in  him ;  and  few 
men,  so  extensively  known,  were  regarded  in  a  more 
friendly  manner  by  all  classes  of  persons  than  he. 


EPITAPH. 

FURNISHED    BY    BISHOP  SOULE. 


SACRED 

TO  THE  MEMORY   OF  THE 

REV.  ROBERT  R.  ROBERTS, 
Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ia  the  United  States 
of  America: 

Born  in  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  August  2,  1778; 
And  died  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  March  26,  1843. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Episcopal  office  in  May,  1816;  which  holy 
Vocation  he  sustained,  unblamably,  to  the  close  of  his  life. 
In  this  devoted  servant  of  Christ  were  united,  in  an  eminent  degree. 
The  Scriptural  qualifications  of  an  Apostolic  Bishop:  sound  in 
The  doctrines  of  Holy  Scripture ;  deep  in  the  experience 
Of  the  grace  of  God ;  firm,  yet  gentle  and  conciliating 
In  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties ;  apt  to  teach ; 
Patient  in  tribulation ;  abundant  in  labors ; 
Fervent  in  Spirit ;  given  to  hospitality. 
He  preached  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  as  an  itinerant,  with  great  success, 
For  more  than  forty   years,  embracing  a  period  of 
Extraordinary  increase  and  prosperity  in  the  Church, 
To  which  his  labors  greatly  contributed. 
For  almost  twenty-seven  years,  he  performed  the  arduous  duties  of 
A  General  Superintendent,  traveling  constantly  through  the 
United  States  and  Territories,  with  that  self-sacrificing 
Devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  Church,  which  is 
Worthy  of  a  true  successor  of  the  Apostles. 
He  possessed  a  strong  understanding  and  sound  judgment. 
In  all  the  labors,  sufferings,  and  perils  of  his  long  and  eventful  life,  lie 
Manifested  that  evenness  and  unshaken  fortitude  of  mind 
Which  are  essential  elements  of  real  greatness. 
His  preaching  was  in  the  demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  and  of  power ; 
And  in  the  final  reckoning,  it  will  appear  that  many 
Were  turned  to  righteousness  by  his  ministry. 
In  his  life  and  labors,  he  has  left  an  illustrious  example  to  those  who 
Survive  him,  and  a  sweet  savor  which  will  embalm  him  in 
The  memory  of  the  ministers  and  people  of  his  charge. 
He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  follow  him. 


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